See the Other Side
by StarLion
Summary: Sora gets a chance to see how he'd lead Roxas' life, but as himself - only missing memories and a Heart, but Sora leads his story on a completely different path, with an entirely changed outcome...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Yep, another of my random ideas put down in words. This story takes place at an unspecified point in 'The Dark' series (Master of, Source of and Collective In), but you don't need to have read any of them for this. It's pretty much a stand-alone story really, but it needed a reason to happen, so I gave it one.  
The time elapsed (Don't worry, it becomes clear as you read) isn't likely to be too accurate, but it doesn't really need to be.  
Anyway. Enough from me. As usual, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, or any of the worlds and characters at all. And with that, I'm going to shut up and let you read.

* * *

It was all quiet in Danny's café, which was often it's normal state of existance. The regular patrons were all either in their discussions, reading something or in the case of one table playing poker. Those who weren't regulars knew better than to get too loud in here, and so despite the normal hubbub that was going on, there was little to suggest this was anything other than a normal day here.  
However, sat at one corner table were two regulars who were silent, one of whom looked decidedly bored. They were Sora and Roxas, meeting up here as they so often did when times were quiet enough to allow them to get away from things.  
Roxas was quiet by choice, watching the poker game nearby with amusement. He'd never played the game himself, though Luxord had once tried to get him involved. He knew how it was played though, and that gave him everything he needed to understand the game.  
One player examined his cards, then confidently said, "See your 100, and raise..." he counted out several chips, throwing them on the pile. "200 more."  
"Too rich for my blood," one of the others shook his head, folding. Out of the six of them, that left only three left in this round.  
The next player pursed his lips for a moment, considering his next move then wordlessly added his own, meeting the 200.  
"He's bluffing," Roxas murmured to Sora, keeping his voice down so the players wouldn't hear him.  
"Which one?" Sora asked, only vaguely interested.  
"The one who raised."  
"How can you tell?"  
"He doesn't raise by large amounts unless he's bluffing, or he's absolutely certain, and he doesn't get certain until it's only him and one other."  
"Why don't you join in if you know so much about their playing style?"  
"Oh, no, not me my friend," Roxas chuckled. "I've got better things to do with my savings than gamble."  
"Your 200," the remaining player told the others, adding yet more chips. "And 400 more."  
"Confident, aren't we?" the first smiled.  
"Getting cold feet?" the third asked archly.  
"Not on your life," he replied, adding yet another 200 to the count.  
The second folded, "I think I'll sit out and see which of you gets the pot."  
"I call," the third smirked, showing his hand. Roxas saw two queens. With the five cards fully visible on the table, the highest he could make was a full house, queens over eights.  
"Why thank you so very much," the first grinned, flipping his cards over. Two eights, matched with the two already down, giving him four of a kind.  
"Ouch," one other players winced. "That's gotta hurt."  
"And you said he was bluffing," Sora accused Roxas.  
"Hey, no one's perfect. There's a lot of guesswork in the game too." He glanced over at Sora, who still seemed bored. "I could teach you how to play."  
"I thought you had better things to do with your savings?"  
"I do, but there's such a thing as a friendly game. They're playing for real, in a friendly one you don't."  
Sora considered it, then shook his head. "Nah. I don't really get that much spare time. I can think of better things to do with it."  
"Like what?" Roxas asked with a sly grin. "Sit there drinking coffee because there's nothing to do?"  
"I'm sure I could think of some better things if there were any," Sora retorted. "Besides," he added. "Danny's good for getting gossip on what's going on."  
"I knew there was a good reason," Roxas murmured, returning to watch the next hand being played out.  
"Roxas," Sora asked suddenly, half way through the hand after. "What was it like?"  
"What was what like?"  
"Being a Nobody. Like, before you rejoined me."  
"You know what happened, you read about it yourself."  
"Yeah, but that's just what happened, it doesn't tell me what it was like. What you felt... well, thought you felt, anyway."  
Roxas continued to watch the game for a time before he finally answered, "Troubled. I had a lot of questions, and never seemed to get any answers. Right near the beginning, I didn't really understand what was wanted of me, or anything really. I was kinda like a zombie for the first couple weeks. Why do you ask?"  
"I dunno. I was curious guess."  
Roxas had an idea inspired by a side project he'd been working on for some time.  
"If I had a Nobody myself... what do you think they'd be like?"  
"Maybe... kinda like me, but without a Heart, feelings and stuff like that?"  
"I can't really see you being a Nobody, Sora. You sort of count on your Heart a lot."  
"I reckon if I were a Nobody, I'd find a way to get along fine without a Heart."  
"If you remembered. I didn't have any memories when I was created remember."  
"I know. I had them all. I'm still pretty sure I'd have found a way, even without memories."  
"I reckon I know a way for you to find out, and deal with some of this spare time you've got lying around."  
"How's that?"  
"Little thing I've been working on. Did you read about the Holo-missions I could take from time to time while I was with the Organization?"  
"Sure. They were just simulations of the real thing."  
"It's something like that, but a little more advanced. It borrows the Arcology's power to actually influence what the person running the simulation thinks and feels and stuff. I could set it so that anyone who went in there would appear to have no Heart or feelings from it, and not remember anything outside the simulation."  
"So... like you could send someone in, and have them live a life there that's not theirs, make them even think they're a Nobody and act the part almost perfectly?"  
"That's the idea. I've done some testing, it's perfectly safe. I was thinking, I could create a simulation for it to mimic my life from being created right through working with the Organization, then letting you loose on it."  
"Wouldn't I just think I was you?"  
"Only if you want me to. All I was going to do was put you in the same situation I had, no name, no memories, no Heart or feelings, then have Xemnas stop by and give you a name when you join. I think I can even make it so he'll name you Sora, if that makes you more comfortable."  
"I'd still really have my Heart, right?"  
"Naturally. It's just the pretence of not having one. I might have to alter a few things to make them work, but I'm fairly sure I can handle it. So what do you say, Sora?" he smirked. "Think you can fill the shoes of your own Nobody?"  
"Maybe better than even you did," Sora grinned back. "I'll make a better you than you did!"  
"We'll see about that," Roxas laughed. "When can you get around to being created?"  
"Whenever it's ready?"  
"Well, the first couple weeks of my life are ready to go whenever you are. I haven't finished the rest yet."  
"You better hurry up and release that Heart of yours then," Sora replied.  
"What for?"  
"So you create me, of course. I've got an entire two weeks of life waiting for me, remember?"

The simulator turned out to be nothing more than an egg-shaped pod with various cables connecting it to a nearby computer, power source and more.  
"You don't actually experience the events," Roxas explained. "The system just supplies the sensory data directly to you, so you think you are. Even if you get hurt in there, it won't carry over to the real thing because it never really happened."  
"So how do I take a break from it, if I'm not gonna remember anything?"  
"Whenever you sleep inside the simulation, you'll have a moment where you will remember again, and you'll get the option to come out of it, or wake up and continue on."  
"Well... that kinda means I've gotta set aside a whole day for each day I want to experience, right?"  
"Think again," Roxas told him. "It'll seem to happen to you at normal speed, but the simulation actually runs as quick as your mind can handle it. Some of the volunteers who helped me test it thought they'd been in there for months in some cases, but out here it had been only a few hours."  
"Pretty neat. How do I tell how long I've been in for?"  
"It tells you when you're given the option to come out. I can also leave you messages that you'll get in those moments too, in case something comes up. I can only break you out of it if something goes wrong see, otherwise it's entirely up to you."  
"And you'll be able to monitor what I'm doing?"  
"Sort of. If I actually watched, it'd slow the simulated speed down to match real time. The way it's set up means that when you reach certain points in the program loaded, it'll tell me. Any other questions?"  
Sora thought for a few minutes, then answered, "Nope! I'm ready to be created now."  
"Then step inside the pod and I'll see to just that. I'd say have fun," he added. "But you'll be a Nobody."  
"Oh, get on with it, Roxas."

_Day I  
__Twilight Town  
__Outside time elapsed: 00:00_

He stumbled from nothingness into existance, looking around and the newly formed place he'd arrived at.  
_Where am I?  
__Who am I?  
_There were buildings around. People. Some looked at him curiously, most paid him little attention.  
He looked to himself, as if it would give him some clue to the answers he sought.  
He was wearing a black sleeveless jacket, with a white sleeved one over the top, lined red but unlike the black one, left unzipped. Grey pants, changing colour part way down, and similarly coloured shoes, strapped red. There was a chequered band on his left wrist, black and white, along with two smaller bands on his first and second fingers, also black and white respectively.  
This gave him no answers at all, and in fact left him with more questions.  
_Why do I look like this?  
__Why... why am I here?  
_He started to wander the streets, taking everything in. Everything seemed new to him, yet some things he could identify without knowing how he knew.  
A town of perpetual sunset, or twilight – Twilight Town.  
The people here laughed, played, talked with each other. Why did they do it? He couldn't understand it. Some said things that sounded hurtful to others, and some shrugged it off, but others said similar things back. What was the difference?  
These questions took a back seat as a new sensation gripped him. There was a wall with a triangle hole in it, the rough sides looking as if a piece of the wall had been roughly cracked out of it by some immense force.  
Curiosity. He was curious. What was on the other side? Where did it leave, and why had no one patched it up?  
Faintly, he hoped that maybe he'd find the answers as well, but the curiosity was a stronger... feeling? Whatever it was, it led him onwards, through the cracked wall and into a forested area, seeing trees and plants for the first time.  
He followed this curiosity further, finding the gated walls in front of a garden, leading in turn to a mansion.  
A voice made him turn away from his examination of the mansion.  
"You see answers," it told him. "I can give you purpose."  
The speaker was in a long black coat, the hood pulled up. It covered his head, but his face was just visible within it. Except the eyes, yellow-orange eyes that were clearly visible.  
He didn't answer this stranger. He didn't know what to say. Instead, he looked toward the ground, trying to think of what he should do.  
The stranger reached out one hand toward him. He stepped back slightly, thinking the stranger was reaching for him, but stopped when he realised it had stopped not far away. The hand was waved through the air, creating shimmering letters in the air facing the stranger. He thought for a moment, turning the letters around, realising they read 'Roxas'.  
With a second wave of the hand, the letters spun around him several times, then settled in front again, this time missing the 'x' and in a different order, but still facing the stranger. He turned the letters around again, then without thinking read out, "Sora."  
"That is right," the stranger replied. "The new you. If you want the answers you look for, come with me." The letters faded, and the hand was extended to him.  
Sora hesitated at first, then slowly reached his own hand out, pausing warily part way as if ready to jerk it back again, but then with a final nod, he took the proffered hand.


	2. Chapter 2

Sora was led back into Twilight Town by this stranger, where they met another like him, similarly tall, but with a slimmer build. Unlike the one who'd brought him here, this one had the hood of the coat kept down, revealing a wild red hairstyle.  
"Axel," Sora's guide greeted him. "This is Sora. Take care of him while I make the arrangements."  
"Sure thing," Axel answered. "Nice to meet ya Sora!"  
Sora didn't answer, turning to look up at the still nameless stranger, who gently prised their hands apart.  
"Go with Axel," he told Sora, then when he saw the doubtful expression he continued, "He works for me, you can trust him. I will return later."  
Sora nodded, watching as the stranger took a step back into some kind of portal that formed beside him in purples and blacks. It vanished after him. Sora went to where it had been, curiously passing a hand through where it had been.  
"Oh boy," Axel murmured. "So now I'm a babysitter too? You can't follow him," he told Sora, louder. "He'd have left the dark corridor open for you to follow if he wanted you to."  
Sora took this in, then finally asked, "Dark... corridor?"  
"That's right. It's how we get around. You'll learn to make your own ones in time." Axel watched Sora for a while, then sighed to himself. "Honestly, don't you have anything to say? Anything you want to do?"  
"Why am I here?"  
"'cause this is where all of us get created."  
"Created?"  
"Sure thing. Don't you remember anything?"  
Sora thought back. The first thing he remembered was when he started to exist, right here in Twilight Town earlier that day. "No..." he answered. "Nothing."  
"Oh boy..." Axel repeated. "Come on. Come with me."  
Axel led him around the town, often retracing the same steps Sora had taken earlier before finding the mansion. He explained that all members of something he called the Organization started their life here because of what they were, though he didn't say what that was.  
Other questions were left unanswered though, such as what the Organization was, who the stranger had been, and why they were helping him.  
Along the way around, Axel paused by a mirror, checking his reflection.  
"Yep. I look good as I always do."  
Sora glanced in the mirror himself. He'd seen his own reflection in glass around the town, but it hadn't been as clear as this. When he looked in however, another boy, similar to him but different looked back. He had blond hair in contrast to Sora's darker brown, and wore red.  
The image of the boy seemed to shimmer, then faded into his own reflection looking blankly back at him. Axel didn't seem to have noticed.  
"Axel?"  
"Hm?"  
"Who am I?"  
"You're Sora. You did get given your name, didn't you?"  
"Yeah. But it's just a name."  
"You wait. Your memories will come back to you before long, then you'll remember who you are."  
Sora thought hard, then shook his head.  
"Nothing."  
"You're new," Axel told him. "Maybe it just takes time. Come on."  
"Where?"  
"To get some ice cream, of course. I'll show you where I go after work. You'll enjoy it. I promise."  
"I guess."  
Axel didn't ask him what kind of ice cream he wanted, though he admitted he wouldn't have known what to pick anyway. The woman who owned the store seemed to know him, and got one out for him as he approached.  
"One for your friend too?" she asked, seeing him.  
"Of course. I'll pay for it this time. You're paying next time, Sora," he added over his shoulder.  
"Is something wrong with him?" she asked Axel when he didn't reply.  
"He's just a bit shy, that's all. Thanks."  
"Come again soon!"  
"Oh, I will. Come on Sora."  
They walked out of sight, but the ice cream wasn't handed over just yet.  
"Where now?"  
"Up there," Axel pointed. "The top of the clock tower." He made a face, then turned to look at him. "And it's always been hell trying to get up there before the ice cream melts. I'm not supposed to introduce you to a dark corridor yet, but who's going to know? Promise not to tell anyone?"  
"Uh... okay."  
Axel winked at him, then held out one hand to the air nearby, which seemed to cloud and solidify into the same kind of portal the stranger had disappeared into.  
"Come on. Follow me."  
Sora hesitated, then followed him into it. It didn't just open out to the destination, instead they passed through what seemed to be literally a corridor, made from clouds of purples and the occasional streak of black. He glanced behind him to see the darker blacks of the entry portal seem to be sucked into the surrounds, just as the faint edges of the corridor blurred around behind them as they approached the exit. It was as if it was collapsing behind them.  
"Don't hesitate," Axel warned at one point. "Keep moving."  
Then they passed through the exit, and Twilight Town seemed to blur back into existance around them, only from the top of the tower. Axel took a seat on a wall just above one of the clock, ignoring the risk of leaning too far forward and falling, something Sora was more worried about. He glanced once over the edge, then with somewhat more care than Axel, took a bit of wall nearby.  
One of the ice creams was handed over, already unwrapped for him.  
"Thanks," he murmured.  
"Go ahead. Try it." Axel watched, then after a few bites asked, "What's it like?"  
"It's like... really salty... but sweet too."  
"Knew you'd like it. I come up here every day once I'm done working."  
"What kind of work?"  
"Whatever the Organization needs me to do," he shrugged. "You'll start going into work with us too before long."  
"Who was that earlier? The one who gave me my name?"  
"That's the boss. Ranked first in the Organization."  
"But... his name?" Sora insisted.  
"Xemnas. Get it memorized, kiddo. Can't go forgetting who you work for now, can you?"  
"Who else is there?"  
"There's twelve of us – well, thirteen now, including you. You'll meet the others soon. Eat up, Sora, before it melts."  
"Huh?"  
"The ice cream? What did you think I was talking about?"

They sat on top of the tower for some time, not really talking. Sora had no idea what was expected of him, what he should say and so mostly just listened to Axel talk about anything he wanted. He wouldn't talk about work, at least not directly. He mentioned places he'd been, and sometimes people he'd met. Creatures called Heartless were mentioned, though there was no explanation on this.  
His reminiscing was interrupted by the sound of another dark corridor opening just behind them, and from it emerged yet another figure in a similar black coat. He had a patch over one eye, and a long, dark ponytail. Under one arm he carried a bundle in the same black as the coat.  
"I thought I'd find you here, Axel," he murmured.  
"I wasn't making any secret of it," Axel replied. "Sora, this is Xigbar, ranked second in the Organization. Xigbar, our newest recruit, Sora."  
Sora turned, giving him a wary nod. Xigbar returned it, then turned back to Axel. "It's time. Get him ready, then get him there. The others are all reporting back from today's missions, they'll be there before long. Don't keep us waiting."  
Axel stood up, took the black bundle and nodded. "Since when have I ever been late?"  
"Oh, I can think of one or two times," he answered, looking back to Sora. "Don't look so afraid, tiger. You're not expected to do all that much. Just the traditional meeting with the boss."  
"Stop rambling, Xigbar," Axel answered for him. "You go on ahead."  
Xigbar chuckled, turned and entered a new dark corridor, closing behind him.  
Sora pointed to the bundle. "What's that?"  
"Your gear, kid," he answered, unfolding a coat, a pair of matching pants and shirt, followed by a pair of gloves and shoes, all in the same blacks. "Go ahead and get changed. We'll swing by my room along the way to drop off the rest of your stuff until we know where your room is."  
"Along the way where?" Sora asked, going round a corner to change out of Axel's sight, not really knowing why. Something about modesty?  
"Full of questions, aren't you? Come on, hurry up. Can't keep the others waiting. Larxene doesn't half make a racket when she's kept waiting, though she's got nothing on Vexen when he launches into one of his rants."  
Sora found he was almost reluctant to put aside his existing clothes in favour of these new ones, but knew Axel probably wouldn't let him go along without changing. The coat came last naturally, leaving it undone just enough so it wouldn't restrict his legs too much, then stepped back around to Axel, handing a somewhat untidy bundle back of his stuff.  
"Don't lose it," he murmured.  
"Don't worry," he answered, adjusting Sora's coat slightly. "I never lose anything."  
He called on another dark corridor, first leading them to a plain, white room with little in the way of furniture where he dropped of Sora's stuff, then before he'd even had a chance to take anything more in, they were back into yet another.  
This one exited into another white chamber, the walls not even visible. They were on a raised white circle with a strange symbol on it, like a heart but with parts missing, and the point was replaced by thorn-like arrows pointing out.  
Arranged around this circular area were tall thrones, all but two occupied. All the occupants wore the same coat and gloves as he now did. It was a kind of uniform, obviously.  
Axel led him forward to stand in front of one of the thrones, then he heard the voice of the stranger from earlier say, "Let us all welcome one of the Keyblade's chosen."  
Sora looked up and saw him, the stranger he now knew as Xemnas, but this time with the hood pushed back to reveal the silvery hair framing it. As he locked eyes with the stranger for the second time, he continued on to say, "Number thirteen – Sora. The Key of Destiny."  
Now he looked around at the other members of the Organization, seeing Xigbar again, then others he didn't know. Some looked on seriously, while a few seemed to have smirks or smiles to their faces. One of them creeped him a little, one with green eyes and blond, almost yellow hair. He seemed to be examining him as if he was an interesting experiment. The only girl among them all looked on with what seemed to be distaste for him, but for the most part the expressions were hard to read, if present at all.  
Finally he looked back to Xemnas, who now sat leaning on one arm. There was a nod to Axel, who then laid a hand on his shoulder and led him back into a dark corridor, to yet another area.  
"What did he mean by that?" he asked Axel along the way.  
"That's your introduction to the others. Your number, name and title."  
"But... one of the Keyblade's chosen? What's that mean?"  
"Not me, Sora. I've been told not to explain that. Xemnas decides when you learn that."  
"What if I want to know sooner?"  
"Just be patient. It's only your first day."  
They emerged back into Axel's room, joined moments later by another member who stood slightly taller than him with blue hair, and a cross-shaped scar over the bridge of his nose.  
"I'll take care of him now," he told Axel bluntly. "Come with me, Sora." Sora didn't move, watching him leave the room. "I said come with me."  
"You didn't introduce yourself," Axel chuckled. "He doesn't know you, so he's not going to trust you yet. Sora – this is Saïx, ranked seventh among us."  
"Saïx," he repeated to himself, then nodded and headed after him.  
"You won't have the luxury of doing that with the others," Saïx told him as they left, entering a long white corridor. Everything here seemed to be white. "Sometimes Axel won't be around. We do have work to do."  
"What work do I have to do?"  
"Nothing, yet. You've got time before we start sending you out on missions."  
"Oh... so what do I do now?"  
"Stay here," Saïx answered, now opening another door. "This is your room."  
It was identical to Axel's. A bed against one wall, with the same symbol he'd seen earlier at the head, a few shelves and a table. Naturally, all in whites.  
Sora looked out the window, seeing a city below.  
"Where are we?"  
"The World that Never Was, the headquarters of Organization Thirteen. There will be time enough for you to learn more tomorrow. Get settled in."  
Then he was left on his own again, except for a brief visit from Axel to return his belongings.  
He knew who he was, and where he was, but still didn't know why he was here, or what was wanted of him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

Flightfoot : Yes, Xion will eventually turn up - though obviously there are going to be various changes. The storyline followed here will be relatively close to the plot of 358/2 days, but again there'll be changes - the order in which Sora meets the members, how he acts and reacts, plus some things that never happened in Days - an example of which noted nearer the end of this chapter.  
A fair few changes are made to account for the difference between Roxas' and Sora's personalities, though Sora's will be slightly different. You can't really be a Nobody, even one like either of them, without losing a few things.

Enjoy.

* * *

_Day II  
__The World that Never Was  
__Outside time elapsed: 00:20_

Sora woke, trying to remember something new and finding nothing except the whiteness of his room. It hadn't changed in the slightest. He hadn't even bothered to pull the covers over himself when he'd gone to sleep, remaining in the black coat they all wore.  
Organization Thirteen. He knew nothing about them except a few names, and that he was one of them. Sora. The Key of Destiny, Xemnas had called him, and said something about being one of the Keyblade's chosen.  
What was this Keyblade, and why had it chosen him?  
He pushed himself up out of the bed, remembering the surprise he'd felt when he found it to be considerably softer than it looked, and turned to the window looking out to see a vast city below. Saïx had told him this was the World that Never Was, but he hadn't told him anything beyond that.  
He could tell it was raining in the city below, but couldn't tell if the lack of residents walking it's streets was because of that, or because there really was no one there.  
There was a muffled voice from outside his door.  
"Don't forget to tell him." It was Axel's voice.  
A new voice, one he didn't recognise, quietly answered, "I know. Get moving."  
Just moments later, there was a knock at the door. Rather than call them in, Sora opened the door himself to see one of the few members who's expression he hadn't been able to read during the meeting in the room with the thrones. He was only slightly taller than Sora with teal hair reaching down to cover his right eye, and in one hand he held a large book.  
"Good morning Sora," he murmured. "I am Zexion. Ranked sixth among our number."  
"Zexion," Sora repeated, nodding and opening the door to allow him in. As he closed the door after him, Sora returned to the window.  
"Seen something interesting?"  
"Just curious," Sora answered as Zexion joined him. "No one there?"  
"Only the Heartless and the other Nobodies live in Dark City."  
"Other?"  
"The lesser kind. Don't worry about them Sora. They're not your concern. You only need concern yourself with the Organization members who live here in the castle."  
"Why?"  
"You're one of us. You work with us, for us and among us. You should know what happens. Happily, I have been assigned to teach you such things today, so your questions and learning can be handled together. If you are ready, we can leave and begin now."  
"Leave? And go where?"  
"To see the rest of the castle, of course. Not to mention breakfast. You need to eat."  
Sora took this in, then turned to face Zexion and asked, "Why did Xemnas call me one of the Keyblade's chosen?"  
"I've been told that's not my responsibility to tell you. All in good time Sora. Just be patient. Shall we go?"  
Sora nodded, letting Zexion lead the way without a word.

The castle's layout seemed geometrically simple, hard to get lost in. Sora paid little attention to it, instead trying to find landmarks, parts he'd recognise if he lost his way. There wasn't much to go on.  
The communal kitchen and dining area had been fairly small, with a selection of food available on a self-service basis, though Zexion calmly told him to keep his hands to himself when it came to one of the fridges in the room. He explained it simply by showing him the contents – neatly arranged food bags containing various pre-prepared meals in, small and large, all of them labelled with a number that corresponded to the member they belonged to.  
The member who'd so bothered him in the white room was there at the same time, and Zexion identified him as Vexen, ranked fourth among them. Vexen continued to watch Sora with the same disturbing interest he'd shown before until he left, murmuring, "Interesting," under his breath.  
After that, he'd been led back up and shown the rest of the castle, coming to rest in what Zexion called the Grey Area.  
"You don't have a need for this room yet," he told Sora, taking a seat in the otherwise deserted room. "But when you begin your work, this is where you will receive your tasks from Saïx."  
"What kind of work will it be?"  
"That is yet to be seen. Most likely it will be to collect Hearts from the Heartless."  
"What are the Heartless?"  
"Creatures of darkness, just like us. They seek out and consume the Hearts of those who possess them, and when felled they release those collected Hearts. Some Heartless, as they consume more Hearts, become more powerful kinds of Heartless, some even becoming giant, and therefore a considerable threat."  
"Why do they do it?"  
"Instinct. And because they do not possess Hearts themselves."  
"So... they're... bad guys?"  
"In a manner of speaking. The Organization has a plan to harvest the Hearts, and to that end some few of us have the ability to command them."  
"Why not just command them to give up the Hearts?"  
"It would not work. They must be destroyed by the right means for them to be collected."  
"The keyblade?"  
"Correct."  
"Is that why I was created?"  
"We were not involved in your creation, Sora. Until we became aware of your existance, we were searching for a way to achieve what you can do simply by owning a Keyblade. You've saved us the effort, and allowed us all to turn to other matters."  
"Doesn't that make me like... a tool?"  
"Indeed. But you are a person all the same, and are treated as such."  
"So that's my job. Collecting Hearts."  
"You will be called on to do other tasks as well, Sora. But you should collect Hearts even as you do so. Every one collected is one more toward our cause."  
"What cause?"  
"That answer is not one I can give you. You are still new, not long from your creation, and it appears your memories have yet to surface as well. It would be unwise to take things too quickly."  
"Why does everything think I have memories?"  
"We all do. Memories of who we were before."  
"I don't remember anything before... before Twilight Town."  
"Curious. Do you remember your true name?"  
"True... name?"  
"The one you had before Xemnas gave you your new name."  
Sora shook his head. "Nothing. I had nothing at all until then."  
"Most curious."  
"Zexion, could you find out who I was? In case I don't remember... I'd like to know."  
"I will... see what can be done. But you must understand, I have my own missions to complete as well. You'll need to be patient."  
"I guess I don't have anything else to do except sleep, learn and wait."  
"Perhaps you should visit the Library. Whether to learn more, or simply for a story to read. Or find something of your own choosing. Demyx chooses to indulge himself in music, though I cannot fathom why."  
"Ask him?"  
"It wouldn't do any good. Music is an art that is beyond our comprehension, Sora. Without a Heart, we cannot hope to understand it."  
"He's a Heartless?"  
"You misunderstand me. You recall earlier I told you the other Nobodies reside in Dark City?" Sora nodded. "They are the lesser Nobodies. Heartless have form – a body – but no Heart or Mind. Nobodies retain their Mind, but often during losing one's Heart it becomes damaged, and that is why most become such Nobodies. You and I, and all other members of the Organization are also Nobodies, but with unharmed Minds."  
"So... I don't have a Heart. And neither does Demyx... so we can't understand music?"  
"Or any other kind of art for that matter."  
"Why?"  
"If we had a Heart, perhaps we would understand that."  
They both glanced up as a dark corridor formed, allowing Xigbar to exit.  
"Keeping the rookie under your eye, Zexion?"  
"It's my task," he shrugged.  
"Saïx around?"  
"I understand he's investigating the other Nobodies in Dark City. Something about the Samurai Nobodies acting up."  
Xigbar grunted. "Guess he doesn't need telling then."  
"Something up with them?"  
"I got attacked by a few while I was out. I thought they were meant to do what we told them to."  
"The Samurai Nobodies have always been somewhat difficult to control," Zexion murmured, almost to himself. "Perhaps that's why no member has ever taken them under their command."  
Sora felt compelled to ask, and after a few moments to frame his thoughts said, "We can command these other Nobodies like we can Heartless?"  
"Nice to see you found your voice so quickly, Xigbar noted before answering, "Only some few of us have achieved control over the Heartless, but you're right on the mark. Some of us have command over an entire kind of Nobody, but the rest either ignore them, or just use the Dusks, the weakest but most common kind."  
"What does it take to command them?"  
"What are you thinking, Sora?" Zexion asked curiously, watching him intently.  
"Maybe the reason they're difficult to control is because no one bothers to try."  
"Only Vexen and Lexaeus have tried it. They ignore Vexen entirely, and were highly distrustful of Lexaeus. The others decided it wasn't worth it after that."  
"I think I'll give it a try."  
"You?" Xigbar looked amused. "You've got some guts, tiger. Never even seen one, and here you are wanting to go raring off to give the most troublesome Nobodies we've seen a piece of your mind already."  
"It gives me something to do," Sora shrugged. "It's not like I have any actual work to do yet, right?"  
"You pull this off, and Saïx will want to stick you in the field sooner."  
"Anything to get started already."  
Xigbar chuckled, but Zexion shook his head. "You'll have to wait anyway. Saïx will have to clear you to try it."  
"Can't you do it, Xigbar?"  
"Me? And risk having to explain to Xemnas why you got yourself carved into by a Samurai Nobody? I'll let Saïx take that chance thanks. Stick around though, kid – like the rest of us, he'll come back here when he's done. You can ask him yourself."  
"I guess I'll wait here then."  
"Do you have any other pressing questions, Sora?" Zexion asked him.  
"No. Not right now. I'll ask whoever turns up if I find any more questions. Ones that'll actually get answered that is."  
"What's Zexion not telling you?"  
"Why I'm one of the Keyblade's chosen, or what this Keyblade is."  
"Ah. None of us are allowed to let you in on that just yet. Patience, tiger."  
"Then if you'll excuse me..."  
Zexion left, and Xigbar followed after him with the murmured question of, "What's he like so far?"  
Sora felt that was a little rude – he could just have asked him or spent a little time with him to find out for himself, but there was no point in going after him.  
Other members began to show up, though he didn't bother anyone, just watching them pass through.  
First to turn up was the girl, who glanced over at him as if in disgust and left, muttering to herself. He had a feeling he wasn't likely to get along well with her.  
Next was one who he guessed was Demyx, as he carried what looked like a musical instrument and weapon together. He winked at Sora, played a few bars on it, then shook his head and left, saying something about bad harmonics.  
Axel turned up next, taking a seat opposite him.  
"So how'd your day go?" he asked. "Learn anything interesting?"  
"A few things. What I'm meant to do, what Heartless and Nobodies are, the difference between us and the lesser ones. I'm waiting for Saïx too."  
"What for?"  
"I'm going to see if I can command the Samurai Nobodies. No one else wants to try it, and Xigbar told me the only two who tried, failed. He suggested asking Saïx to clear me for it."  
"You're crazy, kid. You're not even a week old."  
"So?"  
"Wonder if Saïx would let me watch you try it."  
"Ask him." They were quiet for a few moments, then Sora added, "Do you have a kind of Nobody under your command?"  
"Me? Yeah, the Assassins. There aren't many of them though, so I tend to get the Dusks to do the dirty work. There's always Dusks around. They're stupid though, so anything they can't handle... why'd you ask?"  
"Just curious. Who's the girl?"  
"Girl?"  
"The only one in the Organization? She passed through earlier, but didn't introduce herself."  
"Ah, that'd be Larxene. Number twelve. Nasty temper to her."  
"She looked like she didn't like me."  
"I don't think she's been known to like anyone." Axel glanced up at the next corridor that opened, then beckoned Saïx over to them. "Here's your chance, kid," he whispered to Sora. "Don't go getting yourself hurt, will you?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Dark City_

Saïx had reluctantly given in to Sora's request after Axel took his side, insisting he be allowed to come along 'just in case anything happens to him'. Sora appreciated the additional persuasion, but Axel's reason for coming suggested a lack of confidence echoed in Saïx's own few short, clipped comments on it.  
He'd taken them down into a lower part of the castle, an area Zexion hadn't introduced him to that he called Proof of Existence, leading them down a path into Dark City itself. It appeared that no one other than members of the Organization could use the path, as Heartless Axel identified as Neoshadows, large black creatures that seemed to stalk them as they passed, never set foot on it. They watched from the bottom as they approached, but make no move for them.  
Nobodies too seemed barred from using it, as as among the Neoshadows Saïx pointed out a Dusk. It looked like someone wearing a white jumpsuit with blue neon lights over it, but the head was misshapen, with the symbol of the Organization on it's crest. It seemed almost to glide around, like the Neoshadows watching them pass.  
"Say, Saïx, where are you taking us?" Axel called to him from behind Sora.  
"Memory Skyscraper," Saïx threw back. "They gathered there earlier."  
"Can Nobodies talk?" Sora asked curiously.  
"No. But if they have something to say, the words simply arrive in your mind."  
"Convenient. So how would I go about commanding them?"  
"That is for you to discover. Each kind of Nobody is different; it is up to their Commander to learn how to make use of those differences." As they emerged out into a large plaza at the base of a skyscraper, he turned to face Sora. "Axel and I will watch and await you at the top of these steps." He indicated the short, shallow flight that led up to the entrance to the skyscraper. "Your Nobodies are right there in front of you. Prove yourself."  
The Samurai Nobodies were not as thin as their Dusk cousins were, and had a cylindrical head with slits in that, with it's darker colour, seemed to resemble a helmet. The arms seemed more like they were hidden in long sleeves, with the Organization's symbol emblazoned on the ends. Behind each one of them seemed to float a crossed pair of swords.  
Most of the plaza in front of him seemed to be filled with them. Each gave all others nearby their space, but even with this spacing between them there seemed to be many of them. Sora found his previous confidence had deserted him, doubting whether he really could do this.  
The Samurai Nobodies nearest him turned to face him as he warily approached. They were armed, but he had no weapon – except for this keyblade, the blade part suggesting it was a weapon, but he knew nothing more than this, how to get it even less than how to use it.  
As the first turned to face him, it seemed like a ripple passing through the remaining ones as wave after wave of them slowly turned around to look at him. The vague plans he'd thought up along the way here deserted him as they seemed to give him their full attention.  
"Leave them," he heard Saïx murmur to Axel, and out of the corner of his eye saw him stop Axel from heading back down.  
"He hasn't noticed them," Axel replied.  
"I know."  
At these words, Sora became aware of a presence behind him. An idea came to him.  
"Tell me what's behind me," he told the nearest Nobody.  
_Neoshadows,_ the word appeared in his mind.  
"Eliminate them. Every last one of them near me, Saïx, Axel or the skyscraper. Now." It wasn't exactly an order, but it left no doubt that he expected them to comply.  
The nearest of them advanced past him at a steady pace, while others vanished. He guessed they were appearing somewhere else to do as he'd told them.  
Sora didn't turn to see what happened, but after a few moments with the only sounds being the rain hitting either the ground or his coat, or the feet of the Samurai Nobodies, there were several _thunk_ sounds from behind him, then several sounds that seemed something between a crackle and a crash. More of these sounds echoed from around the area, then the Nobodies returned to their previous positions.  
_It is done,_ they told him, the words just popping into his head.  
"Then you accept my command?"  
_No.  
_"I'd say that's clear enough," Saïx called.  
"I'm not done yet," Sora snapped back, not looking away for a moment. "You _will_ do as I tell you."  
_Then you must face us for that command.  
_"Done."  
"Are you crazy?" Axel shouted. "Do you know what you're doing?"  
"Keep out of it, Axel." Saïx told him calmly. "He's in no danger. Yet."  
"But-"  
"Do as he says," Sora called back, keeping his focus on the one that now stood just a short distance in front of him, hands ready to grasp the blades. Sora merely kept his eyes locked on it and folded his arms. He'd figured out what none of the others had.  
Saïx's expression was, as usual, unreadable, but Axel's was clearly concerned.  
"Vexen's going to love this," he almost moaned. "He's been wanting to get his hands on Sora since he got here. Sora's practically handing himself to..." he trailed off, staring in astonishment.  
The Samurai Nobody had drawn both swords and darted forward to attack, pausing with only a tiny distance between him and the blades. Sora hadn't even flinched, remaining exactly where he had been, only this time with a satisfied smirk to his face.  
_We are yours to command,_ it told him, one of the swords returning behind it as it, along with each and every other one of them, simultaneously gave a salute with the other sword.  
"Then continue about whatever business you have until I call on you. You'll stay out of trouble too."  
_Of course, my liege.  
_"Unbelievable," Axel murmured, amazed.  
Sora turned to face them, then with an extravagant bow announced, "And that's how it's done"

Saïx had opened a dark corridor for them to return to the Grey Area, then been caught by several members waiting to report in. Axel just shook his head again, repeating 'Unbelievable', then insisted on going around the other members who'd already reported in to let them know what he'd done.  
Sora took a seat in the Grey Area, keeping his smirk. They hadn't expected it, but he'd done it. It was well deserved.  
Despite his seemingly harsh expression and lack of any kind of feeling to him, Saïx appeared to have gained some measure of respect for him out of it, and pointed out his achievement to the others in turn. Most just gave him an approving nod before departing.  
One joined him though, taking a seat beside him. He ran a hand through his pink hair to brush it aside, then turned to him and offered the other hand.  
"Marluxia," he said. "Number Eleven."  
"Sora," he answered, taking the hand. "I guess you already knew that though."  
"Naturally. I heard what you did earlier."  
"It was nothing," he said depreciatingly. "It was fairly obvious really."  
"Not so obvious that any of us thought of it. And so young too. Three days, isn't it?"  
"Two," he corrected. "I think. The first day is a bit of a blur."  
"Try keeping a diary."  
"A diary? What's that?"  
Marluxia stared at him for a moment. "You're pulling my leg. Seriously."  
"No, really. What is it?"  
"Haven't your memories..." Sora just shook his head. "Strange. It's something you write in. Like... I suppose you don't know what a journal is either."  
"No..." Sora shook his head again, feeling stupid.  
"Right... well... what you do is you put down what happened in the day, what you thought, things like that. Anything you want, really. Then you can go back later and read it, remind yourself."  
"Does it get checked?"  
"By who? It's private – for you only. Try it, Sora. You'll find it helps your memory."  
"I guess I'll give it a go."  
He nodded, then got up again. "Have to excuse me. I missed lunch. See you later, Sora – keep on impressing us."  
As Marluxia left, he noted that during their short discussion the Grey Area had rapidly emptied, now leaving just him and Saïx in the room.  
He looked troubled for a moment, then came over to him.  
"Xaldin has not yet reported in. Remain here in my absence. If he returns, bid him wait for me."  
"Where are you going?"  
"Lord Xemnas should be advised of your accomplishment. I intend to suggest advancing your progression."  
"Right. Should I ask Xaldin why he's late, or what he did?"  
"No. That's my responsibility. Merely ensure he remains until I return."  
Sora nodded, watching him vanish into a dark corridor. Unlike the one's he'd seen previously, this one seemed to form around him to envelope him. Besides being somewhat darker in colour, this was the only real difference.  
He wondered idly how hard it really was to create these dark corridors, half tempted to try it unaided after his success with the Nobodies. Axel had said the day before he shouldn't have been introduced to them that early though, so were there unseen risks to them? Perhaps not something to experiment with just yet.  
Zexion had said they were creatures of the darkness, just like the Heartless. It suggested that was why he had – or would have – command of the darkness to create those corridors. Maybe there were other powers in that darkness too?  
Another dark corridor opened, and another member stepped out with their hood raised. Xaldin?  
The hood was pushed back, and a number of black dreadlocks were brushed out and over the lowered hood.  
He glanced around the Grey Area, then came over to him, standing not far from where Saïx had disappeared.  
"Saïx?" he murmured bluntly.  
"He said to wait for him. He wanted to tell Xemnas about what I achieved earlier."  
"That is?"  
"I brought the Samurai Nobodies under my command," he shrugged, though it was said with a hint of pride.  
Xaldin – if this was him – grunted, then moved to the nearby wall and leaned against it with his eyes closed. Sora had hoped for more of a reaction than that, but maybe he just wasn't the kind to show things like that.  
The eyes snapped open again when Saïx returned the same way he came. Sora nodded toward Xaldin, and the two walked to the far end of the Grey Area, talking too quietly to hear. Neither made many gestures or seemed to show anything at all for that matter, but near the end Xaldin nodded, watched Saïx leave, then beckoned Sora over to him.  
"It seems you've been moved up. Report here tomorrow. I've been assigned to teach you about your keyblade."  
"And why it chose me?"  
"No."  
"But why not?"  
"Lord Xemnas is the one to direct that question to. He will answer it when he sees fit. Get some sleep, Sora. I expect you to be up early."  
Xaldin strode from the room without a second glance, leaving him to take that in. How long would he have waited for if he hadn't taken command of the Samurai Nobodies?  
Marluxia had been right. He didn't want to forget this. He made a detour along the way back to his room to pick up a pad and pen, then sat on his bed and began to write the first entry.


	5. Chapter 5

_Sora's Diary_

2 Days. That's how old I am now. Soon to be three.  
So... I guess I start at the beginning, in Twilight Town just yesterday. I didn't have anything, no memories, no name... anything at all except a ton of questions.  
Then Xemnas – he's my boss now – came and found me, gave me a name and said he'd give me purpose. I know what that is now. I gotta collect Hearts from the Heartless.  
He runs Organization Thirteen, and I'm their thirteenth member. The Key of Destiny, he called me.  
Oh yeah. He introduced me to Axel too. He's number eight, and he took care of me until Xigbar (Number two) showed up to give me this black coat and the gloves... I guess it's a uniform we all wear. It's not uncomfortable I suppose.  
There was something about the traditional meeting with Xemnas in a place I still don't know where it is, or what it's called. All the other members were there. I don't think some of them like me. Larxene, who's number twelve, she always looks at me like I'm something unpleasant, and Vexen – number four – he's just creepy.  
Anyway, that's pretty much the first day. It wasn't really interesting. It was today it got better.  
Number six, Zexion, showed up this morning to handle teaching me and answering questions, though even he won't tell me why Xemnas said I was chosen by this keyblade thing. I learned where everything was from Zexion, found out I'm a Nobody.  
Normal people are made up from three parts, if I remember what he told me. A Body, a Heart and a Mind. The Heartless only have a body, and just try to consume the Hearts of anyone who has them, but Nobodies have a Mind too. Even we don't have Hearts though. It means we can't feel anything, but we can pretend to. But even if we pretend, we can't understand things like art or music.  
Then there's the lesser Nobodies, like the Dusks or Samurais. They're like us, but their minds got damaged or something, so that's why they all appear deformed and stuff. They take orders from us. If they want to, that is.  
Well, Xigbar said something about the Samurai Nobodies attacking him, which isn't right. Saïx – number seven – came back from Dark City, below the Organization's castle, and said they were acting up, probably because they didn't have one of us to command them.  
Not all of us have a kind of Nobody to command, I was told most of the others either ignore them or just use the Dusks. They're stupid, but there's so many of them.  
So... I told Saïx I'd give it a try. He was against it until Axel and I persuaded him.  
It wasn't as hard as I thought. The Samurai Nobodies are kinda proud, and won't take orders from just anyone. You've gotta prove yourself to them. I had them get rid of some Neoshadows (One of these Heartless things) then when they told me they weren't going to accept my commands, I challenged them. One of them took up that challenge, and got ready to attack me, which got Axel worried over me. He didn't have to be though. They weren't going to hurt me, just see how I'd respond.  
So, I did nothing. I let that one go right ahead and come so close to actually attacking me, and I didn't do anything. That was it. If I'd reacted, they'd never have accepted my command, but I did nothing, I let it do that. Once I realized that, I didn't have any doubt left. I just trusted it, and I made sure I wasn't afraid of it.  
That's what they wanted. Not someone who'd just order them around, someone who understood those things. Someone who'd stand up to them, or for that matter, anyone and anything. They're my Nobodies now.  
Saïx went to talk to Xemnas about it, and now I'm getting taught about my keyblade tomorrow by number three, Xaldin.  
Oh, and I met number eleven too, Marluxia. He's the one who got me to start keeping this diary.  
Um.  
I think that's it. I guess I better get some sleep. Xaldin said he expected to see me up early tomorrow.  
Not long left until tomorrow. Then I'll be three days old. Gotta keep hold of that. I don't have anything else to hold onto... I don't have memories from before.  
Oh, right. I asked Zexion to see if he could find out who I used to be before I became a Nobody. I hope he finds out something. I don't think I'm going to remember anything.

_Note from Roxas: Stop rushing ahead like that Sora, or you'll have to wait for me to write a whole load more. You're already starting to push the limits of what's already been written.  
__Day III  
__The World that Never Was  
__Outside Time elapsed: 00:50_

There was no clock in Sora's room, or in the entire castle for that matter. He had no idea if he was up early or late as he hurried back up to the Grey Area from the deserted kitchen, finishing the last bites of a sandwich along the way.  
He paused just out of sight to brush off a few stray crumbs and catch his breath, then headed in, looking around for Xaldin.  
Saïx was opposite him, looking stern. Had something happened? Probably not. His stern expression wasn't really that much different.  
Vexen and Zexion seemed deep in discussion on one side of the room, under the watchful eye of Axel, who wasn't far from them, but seemed to be pretending not to be watching them. He gave Sora a wink when he spotted him.  
On the other side, gathered around one of the tables were Xigbar, Demyx, Marluxia, Larxene and a member he didn't recognise. Three cards were on the table, and each of them held a further two in hand. There were stacks of round chips in various colours in front of each, along with a sixth stack beside the cards on the table.  
There was no sign of Xaldin, so Sora joined Saïx and asked where he was.  
"You're early," Saïx answered shortly. "Just wait."  
He felt relief at that, having not wanted to be late for this, then almost jumped at Vexen's voice behind him.  
"I'll be leaving now," he told Saïx. "The experiments won't do themselves, you know." Saïx merely nodded, while Vexen glanced down to Sora with his usual creepy smile, then created his own dark corridor to leave.  
"What's his problem?" Sora thought aloud.  
"What problem?" Saïx answered.  
"The way he looked at me."  
"You are one of the Keyblade's chosen. We have never had the chance to examine such an item, and as a scientist, Vexen is naturally curious about you."  
Sora almost replied, but was cut off by an outburst from Larxene.  
"Oh, come on Luxord!" she snapped. "Admit it. You're bluffing."  
The member he hadn't identified before calmly answered, "Maybe. Play the game, Larxene. You can find out just how much I'm gambling."  
"Fine. I call." Several chips were added to the central stacks, and she threw down her cards. With a smug air, she announced, "Flush, Queen high."  
"Xigbar?" Luxord asked.  
"Beats me," he shook his head. "Even an Ace high Straight doesn't beat a Flush."  
"Go on, Luxord," Larxene taunted. "Show us what you lost with."  
"Full house," he answered. "Kings over tens." Larxene's smugness slipped off her face. "Did I hear someone ask what I _lost_ with?"  
She muttered something under her breath.  
"What are they doing?" Sora asked Saïx.  
"Playing poker. Not a past-time I indulge in myself. If you want to learn, ask Luxord – but don't let the game get in the way of your work for us."  
"And not today either," Xaldin's harsh voice added. Sora turned to find he'd joined them without his noticing. "Are you ready?"  
"Uh... yeah."  
"Good. Then come with me."  
The dark corridor Xaldin summoned for them exited out into one of the larger areas of Twilight Town, not far from the store Axel had bought them ice cream at. At the far end, behind the retreating end of a tram, he could see the patch of wall that lead to the mansion where Xemnas had found him.  
"Pay attention," Xaldin snapped. "Now. Summon your keyblade."  
"I don't know how."  
"Just do it. Don't ask me how it's done. We don't know. If you can command the Samurai Nobodies, you can do this. Now do it."  
He felt somewhat apprehensive, and wondered what would happen if he couldn't do it. Without knowing why though, he brought up his right arm grasping something that wasn't there, and swung it downwards as if slashing at something. With a flash of light, he found he now held a strange looking weapon.  
It looked like a giant key, which explained why it was called the keyblade. It was silver, with a golden handle and blue grip, and the teeth of the key outlined a crown. Hanging on a chain from the handle was a circle of metal with two smaller circles on it.  
He'd have examined it in more detail, but a kind of _sproing_ sound came from nearby. A... thing had appeared in the air. It had a yellow, conical body, with a black patch that had glowing yellow eyes on it resemblant of the eyes of the Neoshadows. It wore an orange hat above this, and seemed to have two duck-like feet sprouting from the bottom of the body. A strange symbol was traced on it's front in black and red.  
"What-"  
"A Heartless," Xaldin interrupted. "The symbol on it's front means it is an Emblem Heartless. These are the kind that release Hearts when defeated. Like all kinds of Heartless, they are attracted to your keyblade."  
"What about the Neoshadows? And other Heartless that don't have that emblem?"  
"They are the Pureblood Heartless, and do not release Hearts. However, it has been noted that on some Heartless the emblem is missing or well-hidden. But you should not concern yourself with that. Now destroy that Heartless."  
Sora found he seemed to instinctively know how to handle the keyblade, taking several slashing strikes at it, then finishing it with a smash to the head. It twitched once when it hit the ground, then seemed to morph into a red Heart, which headed skyward and then vanished into what looked almost like a tiny dark corridor.  
"Is that it? Don't I have to collect that Heart?"  
"No. We have already handled that. As long as your keyblade fells a Heartless, the Heart will be harvested for our use."  
"So that's all I got to do. Hunt down and destroy Emblem Heartless."  
"Along with any other objectives you are handed."  
"Why are we gathering Hearts, Xaldin?"  
"Each one collected is one more that gets woven into something greater. Kingdom Hearts. With it's power we will gain our own Hearts, and truly, finally exist as complete beings. That, Sora... is the Organization's ultimate goal."  
Sora rested a hand over where his heart would have been if he had one, and wondered what it would be like.  
"Personally, I think it's a waste of time," Xaldin added. "The ability to feel makes those with Hearts weak. But it is not my place to question our goals."  
"So what now?"  
"Continue to destroy the Heartless here in Twilight Town. They are few in number for now, so you will have to seek them out. Handle Pureblood Heartless only if you feel the need. I will remain here. When you feel you are familiar enough with the keyblade and have collected enough Hearts, I will return us."

Sora knew Twilight Town better now, and was able to navigate it easier, telling where he'd already searched. The only Pureblood Heartless he encountered were small, almost human-like ones with antennae, like the Neoshadows but smaller and not so smart.  
Emblem Heartless seemed to be less common in comparison to them, but more diverse. He'd met a variant of the first one with a black body instead, which shot fire at him, and several more of the yellow ones which surrounded themselves with a shield of thunder. He discovered quickly that coming into contact with that thunder was not going to be healthy for him.  
Another kind he encountered was also human-shaped, but had a blue body, a helmet, silver wristbands and red claws to it.  
Sora realised the coat must have had some measure of protection for him as well as being a kind of signature for the Organization as he found that no matter how many times the Heartless actually hit him, it remained resistant to damage. He felt the injuries, that much was certain, and when he paused to roll up the sleeve to examine one arm he noted several bruises starting to show up, but not a single injury to him, or the slightest tear to the coat.  
Some of the folk of the town noticed him, though none seemed to recognise him as the zombie-like boy he must have seemed like when he was first created. They all avoided him, giving him distrustful glances. Were the Organization here often? Even if they weren't, it seemed something had given the residents reason to be wary of them.  
When he finally concluded his tour of the town and found no further Heartless, he returned to Xaldin, who said nothing, merely opening the way back to the castle for him.


	6. Chapter 6

_Day IV  
__Twilight Town  
__Outside time elapsed: 01:20_

Sora emerged from the dark corridor, quickly stepping to one side to watch Vexen follow. He'd already decided not to trust Vexen, and had also decided the sooner he learned to create his own corridors, the better. Letting Vexen go behind him through the corridor had tested his nerves.  
"What are we doing here today?" he asked Vexen without betraying a hint of the dislike or distrust he held.  
"You are learning to conduct a reconnaissance mission," Vexen answered. "I am merely here to guide you."  
"So I've just got to find out stuff then?"  
"Particular 'stuff'', yes. It is no use bringing back random pieces of information. You will be given a goal, and we expect your information to be relevant to it."  
"What am I looking for then?"  
"Your mission today is to track down and discover the truth behind a rumour in the town. This is only a test of your ability to conduct these missions, but do try to apply yourself Sora."  
"Any rumour?"  
"No, not any rumour," Vexen sighed. "Honestly, what would give you that idea?"  
"Well how am I supposed to know? I've never done this before."  
"You're expected to have some modicum of intelligence to you... though I can see now not to hold you to my own high standards. The rumour in question says that there is a waterfall in this town where the reflection people see in it appears to move by itself. You will find this waterfall and find out the truth behind it."  
Sora thought, but didn't remember seeing any waterfall on his various tours of the town.  
"I guess I start by asking someone where it is then."  
Vexen sighed again, rolling his eyes skyward in exasperation. "Although it may not seem like it, we are running a stealth operation. Obviously here, we cannot avoid being seen, but that doesn't mean you should just go ahead and bother people. We keep to ourselves unless it is part of the mission."  
"Well wandering around aimlessly isn't going to find this waterfall you claim is here," Sora answered, trying to keep the edge out of his voice. "So what do you suggest, since you're the one with the high standards?"  
"I suggest you use your mind and think of the solution yourself. It's not my place to do your mission for you."  
Well if he wasn't going to help, what good was he going to be? Did he just plan to criticise him the whole time? He wasn't going to give him that chance.  
Sora snapped his fingers, surprisingly easily he found despite the gloves, and one of the Samurai Nobodies appeared beside him.  
"Find me every waterfall in the town," he told it.  
_As you command,_ it responded, and vanished the same way it came.  
"And not a word from you either," he added to Vexen, seeing his disapproving expression. "You left the method up to me. You said nothing about Nobodies."  
"You are _expected_ to do this sort of thing yourself."  
"I _expected_ you to make yourself useful," Sora retorted, making Vexen look like he'd just bitten into a lemon. "Not stand around making things pointlessly overcomplicated. So don't tell me how to do my work."  
_There is only one,_ the voice came to him, though the Samurai did not reappear. _It is in the place called Sunset Terrace.  
_Sora left Vexen behind, not bothering to see if he had an answer. He'd seen the name Sunset Terrace before, but hadn't been there. A tram normally ran from the station at the top of this part of town to a part further down – that was the Terrace.  
Vexen would no doubt insist on his non-interaction policy however, so Sora took the longer route into the tunnels beneath the town instead of taking the tram. Several Heartless appeared along the way. After yesterday, he'd looked up the ones he'd encountered in the library, identifying them as Shadows, Yellow Operas, Scarlet Tangos and Soldiers.  
Only the Shadows and Soldiers seemed to be around today, and true to Xaldin's word the day before, they seemed focused on him, even more so once he summoned the keyblade. It seemed to have no trouble harming them though, barely slowing their progress at all.  
Vexen, naturally, did little to help Sora except to defend himself, making use of their homing in on the keyblade to avoid having to do anything. Sora's already low opinion of him dropped further.  
Once they emerged back out into Sunset Terrace, it was fairly easy to follow the various water flows to find the waterfall, tucked out the way in one corner. The Samurai he'd called on waited for him there.  
"Thank you," he told it. "You can go back now." It vanished yet again.  
The waterfall seemed almost like a mirror, from this angle showing Vexen perfectly. When Sora approached however, he saw not himself, but the boy he'd seen in the mirror on the first day. The same spiky blond hair, the same red clothes, the same blue eyes looking back at him. In the more complete reflection this waterfall showed, he could also see yellow shoes that seemed almost too large, and could perfectly make out a cocky grin to the boy's face as he crossed his arms, leaning back just slightly.  
"Well?" Vexen asked. "What do you make of it?"  
Sora glanced at him, treating him to an icy stare. "It's just a waterfall. Anyone can see that. There's nothing special about it."  
When he looked back however, the boy had gone. The reflection was his own this time, mirroring the almost fierce expression he wore. It wasn't making any movements he hadn't caused, and shook his head.  
"Your rumour is just that," he told Vexen. "A rumour without truth to it." He watched for a few moments more, an a flicker behind his reflection made him turn sharply and lash out with the keyblade, sending a Soldier flying into the wall nearby. The initial strike he'd launched, because the Soldier had appeared so close to Vexen, came even closer to him, making him stumble back and cause the air nearby to freeze into a shield.  
"You could have said something," he said accusingly.  
"It was just one Soldier," Sora shrugged. "Hardly worth your time. Any other overcomplicated schemes you want to put me through?"  
"I think it's clear you're not cut out for this kind of work. Do try not to make a mess of things if you ever get called on to do it again."  
"A simple no would have done. Now maybe since you did almost nothing, you can actually teach me something."  
"Watch your tongue, boy."  
"Sora! Not boy!"  
"You forget your place."  
"And you've obviously forgotten how to use people's names."  
Vexen took this in, eyes flicking to the keyblade. Sora deliberately held it ready to defend himself.  
"Just be sure you don't turn that on us. We deal harshly with traitors."  
"It's a good thing we don't have to do such things," Axel's voice called to them, followed by Axel himself. "Are you two done?"  
"We were just finishing up," Sora answered before Vexen said anything, making the keyblade disappear again.  
Vexen gave a brief, "Hmph," of disapproval, then turned aside into a dark corridor.  
"At last," Sora muttered. "And longer and I might have been tempted to hit him."  
"Now, Sora," Axel chided. "You shouldn't be talking about your superiors like that."  
"Why not? It's not like I care what he thinks."  
"And what do you think he thinks?"  
"He doesn't approve of my methods, he doesn't help, as far as I can tell he doesn't do anything at all. Whenever Heartless appeared, he just let me handle them."  
"Your keyblade is the most effective weapon," Axel pointed out.  
"He could at least do something to help, rather than stepping back and leaving it all up to me."  
"I know something that'll take your mind off it."  
Sora thought for a moment, then lost his irritable mood instantly.  
"I'm paying this time, remember."  
"I'll meet you up there."  
"No chance. I can't do dark corridors yet."  
"Really? Vexen was meant to teach you that. I guess I'll handle it. After the ice cream though."

"Hey, Sora?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Are you sure you don't have a Heart?"  
"I wouldn't be a Nobody if I had one, would I?"  
"I dunno. We know you're a Nobody, but either you've got a Heart you're not telling us about, or you're a damn good actor when it comes to feelings."  
"Maybe I'm just a natural," Sora shrugged, taking another bite of the ice cream. "It's not like I have memories to draw on."  
"Still? After four days?"  
"Yeah. Not a thing."  
"Weird. The rest of us all had something by now."  
"Maybe the reason is the same as why I look like I have a Heart?"  
"Could be."  
"Hey, Axel? Did you know me before I became a Nobody?"  
"Nope. First I saw of you was when the boss handed you over to me."  
"I wish I knew who I was."  
"I wouldn't worry about it. It won't matter in the end. You'll be your own man then."  
"I know. Kingdom Hearts."  
"Who told you about that?"  
"Xaldin."  
"Ah, reminds me." Axel fumbled in his pockets for a moment, then pulled out a chain. On the end of it was a cross, each of the points an arrow.  
"What is it?" Sora asked as Axel handed it to him.  
"A keychain for your keyblade. I found it on my mission yesterday, up at Hollow Bastion. You just hook it on in place of the one you've got, and... well, I don't know exactly what's meant to happen. It's meant to unlock some hidden power or something."  
Sora summoned his keyblade, putting the existing chain into one pocket and replacing it with the new one. As it clicked into place, the blade flashed once, clearing to show a different design.  
The grip had become white, and the handle around it was now rounded in a dark purple colour, adorned with with three gemstones in a similar colour. It had a shorter blade now, and the original teeth of the blade were now a pair of points, one outwards where the teeth had been, the other pointed outwards on the top of the blade. The points were connected by a small white ring, which extended around to a smaller point opposite the 'teeth' part, but had no actual point to it.  
"Was that meant to happen?" Sora murmured, half in awe.  
"You tell me. We still don't know much about your keyblade, Sora. I'm guessing it should have. Maybe with a new form it gains new abilities."  
"I wonder if there's other keychains."  
"Probably. You finished your ice cream?"  
"Huh? Yeah, why?"  
"Didn't you want to learn to create your own dark corridors?"  
"Oh, right." He quickly dismissed the keyblade's new form, noting absently that the old keychain remained in his pocket. "So how does it work?"  
"Nothing simpler. You just think of where you're going to end up, and push the darkness toward it. It punches a hole through, and that's what we see as a dark corridor."  
"What if I've never been there before?"  
"The darkness is fairly helpful there. It'll at least get you to a safe point. Why don't you try getting us back to the castle yourself?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **No, don't adjust your browser. The changes that you'll start to see happen to the 'Time elapsed' lines are deliberate, and the reasoning will become clear in time.  
Also, Sora's keychain. It's kind of a replacement for the Gears system that appears in Days, however I've made a change. The form his keyblade takes with it depends on Sora's thoughts and certain other requirements. For example, the form it took - Sign of Innocence - is because he was curious. I'll leave you to guess the rest as they appear though.  
Enough from me. Enjoy.

* * *

_Day V  
__The World that Never Was  
__Time outside elapsed: 01:?_

"_You'd betray... king?"  
_"_Not on your life! But I'm... either, 'cause he's... through together! See... Donald! Could ya tell... sorry?"  
_"_Hold on, Goofy! We'll... together! Well... you know... one for all."  
_"_I guess... stuck with us..."  
_"_Thanks a lot... Donald, Goofy."  
_"_How will you fight without a weapon?"  
__He looked up in defiance and _ woke up with a start.  
That boy. He'd been dreaming about that boy he'd seen. Taken from his point of view. Fragments of a conversation, not clear enough to make out. Who were Donald and Goofy?  
Sora shook himself, telling himself it was just a dream, and pushed aside a bit of wall that had actually turned out to be a door to a shower. He'd only discovered it by accident. No one had told him it was there.  
His thoughts strayed back to the dream as he showered. It was still clear in his mind, but the dream itself hadn't been clear at all. There was a room, a large round room. A fountain, stairs going up to a raised area with pillars supporting an upper balcony. There'd been another boy there, a white-haired boy in some kind of suit of blues and reds. There'd been an emblem on his chest, very similar to the one the Heartless had. And a keyblade. He was certain of that. His keyblade, in it's normal form, was in the boy's hand. Why did he have it?  
He'd entered the room and seen the boy alongside two... two... he couldn't remember them anymore. One of them had protected him from an attack from this boy. Why?  
It had made the boy say something about betraying and a king... the rest hadn't made any sense. It faded in and out too much to understand.  
Donald and Goofy. He remembered the names, they were strangely familiar – but who were they?  
Sora dried himself off absently, trying to see any sense in this dream.  
Someone knocked at his door as he pulled on the coat again.  
"Come on in," he called absently, taking a towel to his hair again after it dripped a few times.  
"You're up late today," Zexion noted, letting himself in. "Saïx asked me to find out where you'd got to."  
"I guess I slept in a bit later than I meant to," he admitted ruefully. "I was having a bit of a bad night."  
"A nightmare?"  
"What's that?"  
"Another name for a bad dream."  
"I guess you could call it that." Sora hesitated, then asked, "Could I... tell you about something I keep seeing?"  
"Of course. What's troubling you?"  
"On my first day, when Axel was guiding me around Twilight Town, there was this mirror. When I looked in, for a few moments I'm fairly sure it showed someone else. Then yesterday, at the waterfall I had to investigate it happened again – but the reflection stayed. At least until I looked away, when I looked back it showed me again."  
"What did you see?"  
"He... looked like me, but different... lighter hair, different clothes. I think he must have had a Heart too, whoever he is. Then last night, I was dreaming about him."  
"Curious. Could you perhaps go into more detail for me Sora?"  
Sora nodded, describing the boy first then recounting what he still remembered of the strange dream.  
"I guess I must sound real weird, huh?" he asked when he finished.  
"Certainly this is unusual, but I think we can rule out coincidence. I think I'll ask Saïx to cancel your mission for today. I'd like you to have Vexen examine you."  
"Do I really have to put up with him again?"  
"If he troubles you, I could take care of it. In return though, I want you to join me on my own mission afterwards."  
"That sounds fair."  
"Then wait here for me. I will speak with Saïx first to make the arrangements."  
Zexion's examination of him seemed remarkably lacking in actual examination, instead consisting more of various blueish waves of light flowing from his hand to around him. He continually examined the ever present lexicon he carried, returning to it after every wave.  
"I believe you have little reason to be concerned," he said at last. "It seems to be your memories trying to resurface."  
"What's been stopping them?"  
"I can't tell that just yet. If you have any further episodes such as that dream, let me know."  
"What if I keep on seeing him appear in my reflection?"  
"Don't be too concerned about that. You're otherwise perfectly fine Sora. Is there anything you have to do?"  
"I don't think so."  
"Then we'll depart for my mission. Understand that you must keep your hood raised for this mission, and there's not to be a single word spoken out of turn."  
"So, hood up, shut up?" he asked, starting to pull it over his head.  
"Essentially," Zexion answered, following suit.  
"Where will we be going?"  
"To a place called Destiny Islands. Our task there is to observe only – regardless of what we see. Do you have questions to ask before we leave?"  
Sora shook his head, though it may have been hard to tell with the hood up, but Zexion seemed to get the idea.  
The dark corridor exited onto a wooden deck, for a moment making him think they were aboard a ship, but it just seemed to be a construct made between two rock pillars. Ahead of them stretched a long beach, at the near end a small pier, and at the far end a bridge that lead out to a squat, flat rock with many palm trees around. A short way inland, tree houses seemed to have been built around the trees, along with a collection of ladders and walkways to reach them.  
Off in the distance to one side was another island with a village on the shore, but it was strangely deserted.  
The entire place had an air of familiarity about it. He was certain he'd heard the sound of the waves on the beach before, but how could he have? He'd never been here before.  
In a short burst of darkness, a figure appeared on the squat rock. He looked identical to the boy in his dream, the one with the Heartless emblem on his chest. Despite Zexion's warning, a surprised gasp escaped him when he recognised him.  
He'd told Zexion about the boy, so he must have realized too. A hand reached to his shoulder warningly, but nothing was said. Sora nodded to him in silent acknowledgement, then returned to watching the scene.  
A greenish light appeared on the beach, depositing three figures. One looked like a duck, the second tall dog that seemed to have a kind of permanently cheerful disposition. Donald and Goofy. The third...  
"That's him," he murmured to Zexion as quietly as he could. "The boy."  
"So I see." Zexion answered. "Hush now." He made a gesture with one hand, and the voices of the trio came to them as clearly as if they were stood right beside them.  
"Is this... is this my island?" the boy asked, half to himself.  
"Maybe we should look around?" Goofy suggested.  
Instead of replying, the boy spotted the other one on the rock and called out, "Riku!" scrambling up a small hut to reach the bridge that lead to him.  
"Don't bother," Riku replied in a voice that didn't seem to match up with him. "Your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His Heart belongs again to the darkness. Where all things start, and all things end. Hearts are no different to this."  
"The Superior?" Zexion murmured to himself. "Impossible..."  
Riku's form changed, becoming taller. He resembled Xemnas, but wore a white robe, open at the front to show the same Heartless emblem he'd seen on Riku's chest in the dream.  
"We're leaving," he told Sora. "Now."  
"But-"  
"It's too dangerous for us here," Zexion cut him off, rapidly calling a dark corridor and almost dragging him into it by the hand. Before the view changed to the inside of the corridor, he saw a strange creature appear behind the changed Riku, and a keyblade appear in the hands of the boy – identical to his own in it's normal form.  
Then Zexion gave a last tug, pulling him fully into the corridor and quickly through it to the Grey Area.  
Saïx glanced over as they emerged. Zexion shook his hood back.  
"You're early," Saïx noted.  
"You and I need to talk go to Where Nothing Gathers now. He needs to hear about this."  
"And him?" Saïx nodded to Sora.  
There was a pause before Zexion answered, "Sora is fine. The examination yielded no useful results." He turned then to Sora, who pushed back his own hood and continued, "Remain here in the castle, Sora. If you do have to leave, don't go back to that place." Then to Saïx, "Let's go."  
The two vanished into dark corridors, leaving him alone and without any answers.  
He'd seen the boy in his reflection. He'd seen all of the people present in his dream. But he still didn't know the boy's name, or why he looked so much like him? Who was he? Why did he have a keyblade just like his own?  
His view changed abruptly, forming into the room he'd been in when Axel had taken him to meet everyone. This time though, he was sat on one of the two thrones that had been unoccupied at the time. Almost directly opposite him was Xemnas, with Zexion and Saïx on their thrones, on either side of the circle, about half way between him and Xemnas.  
"Sora," Xemnas nodded to him. "Remain away from that world. It would not be safe for you there."  
"Why not?"  
"The one you saw there who was identified as Riku is a threat to us all, but to you particularly. You are quite important to the Organization – you are the only one who can gather Hearts for us. Your continued well-being is our concern."  
Sora nodded, understanding. He couldn't put himself at risk. They needed him. _He_ needed him. Once he had a Heart...  
"You should take the rest of the day off," Zexion suggested. "Take an early night."  
He nodded again, this time understanding where he was, and used his own dark corridor to return to his room in the castle and take that advice.

_He was dreaming again, seeing events from the boy's eyes again. The changed form of Riku hovered in black air before them.  
_"_It is futile," he told them. "The keyblade alone cannot seal the door to darkness." He reached out into the distance toward an immense door and cried out, "Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness!" The door began to open, billowing black smoke. "Supreme darkness..."  
_"_You're wrong," he found himself saying. "I know now, without a doubt. Kingdom Hearts is light!"  
__A shaft of light beamed through the growing gap in the doors, illuminating the figure before him then destroying it entirely.  
__They somehow flew toward the rocks around the door, landing on them nearby the great door.  
_"_Come on," he called to Donald and Goofy, pushing against one side of the door. It didn't budge, and neither did the other side when they pushed against it.  
__Goofy paused in his pushing, seeing something.  
_"_Stop staring and start pushing!" Donald snapped at Goofy, but then looked around the door to see what had stopped Goofy.  
_"_The Heartless!" the two exclaimed together. He glanced around the door himself now, seeing a huge tide of Heartless just waiting to come through the door.  
_"_Hurry!" Donald told them.  
_"_I can't shift it..." he muttered  
_"_Don't give up!" It was the voice of Riku, not the changed one he'd heard on the island, but the one he'd heard in the dream._


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Be prepared for a fair stream of updates to this story for a bit. I don't normally focus on one story to the exclusion of others, but when you keep thinking of one story when you're trying to write an unrelated one, about the only thing to do is to write the right story for a bit.  
And Flightfoot: At the moment at least, the simulation's Roxas matches the real Sora's story through KH1 and Chain of Memories - but after that... well, wait and see.

* * *

_Outside the simulation_

Roxas dozed, taking a break from keeping watch on Sora. The event log showed that, as usual, Sora wasn't waiting around like he had. Roxas had made several changes to the way he recalled events happening. They'd aim to follow the original events closely, but also allowed for leeway where Sora was going off and changing so much. It would allow Sora's version of the story to potentially go completely differently from his own.  
After committing the last of these such changes and providing the last of the events up to his last day and meeting Sora, he leaned back in the chair and fallen asleep.  
The event log flashed a warning once, then twice. They went unnoticed.  
An error showed up, with the corresponding alarm, but Roxas dozed through it, sleeping soundly. When the error's entry in the log was bumped off the screen by various other events, the alarm was silenced, leaving nothing to tell it had happened unless Roxas bothered to scroll back up and through everything he'd missed. When he woke up.

_Day VI  
__Outside time elapsed: ?.?  
__Warning: No time data to read. Retry on next call._

When Sora entered the Grey Area, it was relatively quiet again. Larxene sat alone on one side of the room, unsurprisingly he thought given her attitude, while on the other side Axel had sprawled into one of the couches. Xigbar leaned against the glass, talking with Saïx, who naturally stood in his usual spot opposite the way in.  
He'd have gone to Axel, but it looked like he'd dozed off, and so instead headed over to Saïx, who greeted him with his usual bluntness.  
"About time. You're learning magic today with Larxene."  
There was an indelicate sound from across the room. Sora suspected it would echo his own thoughts by the time he was done today.  
"She's in one of her touchy moods, so do good at it tiger," Xigbar added.  
Curiosity got the better of him. "Why do you keep calling me that?"  
"Do you mind it?"  
"Well, no..."  
"Then don't let it bother you. Go on ahead to Twilight Town. I'll send Larxene along in a few."  
"What should I do?"  
"Find the sandlot and clear out any Heartless there. That's where you'll be taught."  
"Is magic hard?"  
"For some. I reckon you'll have no trouble at all. Go on."  
Sora nodded, creating the dark corridor himself this time, aiming it directly to the sandlot. Or at least that was where he hoped it would end up.  
He missed only be a short amount, ending up exiting in the side street just a short distance from it.  
There were few Heartless around at all for this hour, and just as few residents. When he entered the sandlot, he spotted a small group of Shadows were milling around aimlessly.  
Sora knew they'd go for him the moment he brought out the keyblade, so instead decided to experiment to see if he could figure out magic for himself. The term 'magic' for him suggested fire primarily, though ice wasn't far behind. Fire seemed like a better choice to try, at least he'd be able to tell if it worked.  
He held out one hand toward the Shadows and concentrated on fire, thinking about it in as many ways he could imagine it working. His hand seemed to feel as if it was building up something, and when he called out, "Fire!" in a commanding tone, it released, ejecting a fair sized fireball from the palm of his hand that was launched down into them. One Shadow vanished entirely, and those near it seemed to catch fire. All the surviving Shadows turned on him, with a few of the ones ablaze vanishing as they headed for him.  
Sora pulled out the keyblade and finished them off with it, then noticed it had shifted to a new design again. Half the handle was gone, and the remaining half was a bright blue. On the key side of the blade, just above the handle was black, curving outward. The blade itself curved sharply at it's tip, almost resembling a sickle-like design with three spiked points pointing back, forming the teeth of the key for this form.  
"Oh, put that away!" Larxene's penetrating voice told him. He turned to look behind, seeing her coming down the steps. If her expression was anything to go by, Xigbar's guess of her mood was a definite understatement. "You're meant to be practicing magic, not lugging that oversized key around."  
"I was just keeping in practice while I waited for you to get here."  
"What good is that? You've run off all the Heartless here you idiot! Do you expect me to let you light _me_ on fire?"  
"Chance would be a fine thing," Sora muttered under his breath, then louder, "No need to be like that. There's always more Heartless around."  
"Don't treat me like an idiot!" Her voice soared easily. "Think I don't know that?"  
"Keep the noise down," someone shouted from an upstairs window. "Some of us are trying to sleep down here."  
"Shut your trap!" Larxene snapped in response. "You're so smart, _you_ find us some more Heartless."  
"Suit self," Sora shrugged, and led the way up one of the streets, pausing along the way when a group of flower-like Heartless appeared, only to be set on fire by him.  
"You didn't tell me you already knew magic!"  
"You never asked," he answered calmly. "There's a lot of things I haven't told you. Like your shoes are on the wrong feet."  
She stopped, glanced down then muttered to herself, correcting the mistake.  
"I knew that," she told him, catching up. "I was just seeing how perceptive you were."  
"More than you are, obviously."  
Some Scarlet Tangos appeared as they entered the tram common. He knew from reading up on them they'd just absorb any fire magic he sent them.  
"What are you going to do now then, wonder-boy?" Larxene taunted him.  
"This," he answered, held out his hand as before and just added, "Freeze!"  
The air around his hand solidified into a shard of ice that destroyed one of them on contact, then seemed to dash through the others in a line, effectively eliminating them in one go. Sora noted the Hearts they released also got taken into the darkness just like those released by his keyblade did. Had they lied about only him collecting them? Or did it work for his magic just because he owned the keyblade?  
"Show off," she muttered.  
"I don't see you showing me how it's done," he said innocently. "Isn't that what you're meant to be doing?"  
"You're doing just fine on your own."  
"Not really. I'm just doing what I think works, and I don't know anything else I could do with it besides fire and ice."  
"Find me some Heartless and I'll show you one of them. You better be able to pull it off afterwards, or I'll use it on you."  
"There's a group of Soldiers over by that crack in the wall," he supplied, not even bothering to look over at them.  
"Then watch this."  
Sora leaned back on a wall and watched. With a short call of 'Thunder' several bolts of lightning shocked the Soldiers that had gathered around her, and a second one destroyed them.  
"I guess it's not too bad," he told her when she returned.  
"Not too bad! What do you mean by that?"  
"Oh, nothing. Only my magic only needed one use to destroy my Heartless."  
The Hearts released from the Soldiers arced back down and re-formed back into Soldiers again. It looked like his magic shared the keyblade's ability to release Hearts.  
"Go ahead then. You show _me_ how it's done then. No keyblade, no fire or ice. Just that thunder magic."  
Sora treated her to a confident smirk, then casually strolled into the middle of the Soldiers, letting them get close. Instead of outwards at the Soldiers, he pointed his palm skyward, then gave the call for Thunder.  
The bolts that he called down destroyed the Soldiers in one blow each.  
"Show off," Larxene muttered again.  
"Anything else to teach me?"  
"No. You can figure the rest out for yourself. You obviously don't need me to teach you."  
"Why not go on back then?"  
"What about you?"  
"Oh, I'll just practice a little more, collect some more Hearts," he shrugged. "I don't have anything else to do, and since I benefit all of us by collecting Hearts, I figure I might as well do it whenever I get the chance."  
Larxene glared at him for a few moments, then unexpectedly, her expression softened into a more speculative one.  
"Say, just where do your loyalties lie, kid?"  
"Not with you, if you try to call me that again."  
"Just answer the question."  
"The Organization, I guess. Thanks to it, I've got a job, a home, a kind of life..."  
"Kind of life?"  
"It's not like it'll be a real one until I get a Heart, right?"  
"So... if something were to happen... just hypothetically, of course," she assured him then went on, "Something that brought around a change of leadership... would you be on board with us-it?"  
"If it still had the goal of getting Hearts, sure. If not... I dunno. It'd depend on why it was happening and stuff. But probably."  
"Keep your eyes and ears open then, Sora. Just in case that ever happens."  
She watched him for a few moments more, then nodded and departed into her own dark corridor.  
"A change of leadership, huh?" he murmured to himself. "Wonder what'd be done if I let Saïx know about this. Or Xemnas maybe."  
Sora continued around the town dealing with Heartless and keeping in practice with his magic, though occasionally he brought out the keyblade too. There seemed to be a limit to his magic, after a few uses the power would start to decrease until fireballs just became a few licks of flames from his fingers. It seemed more suited to backing up his keyblade than a replacement for it.

That afternoon, he picked up a couple of ice creams, then headed up to the top of the clock tower.  
"You're early," Axel told him just after he got there.  
"No, you're just late," he answered, handing one over.  
"Thanks. Do anything interesting today?"  
"A little magic. I figured out most of it without Larxene. I think I managed to make her dislike me a little less too."  
"How did you manage that?"  
"Not sure I should mention it."  
"Hey, c'mon Sora. We're friends. You can tell me. Even if it's about work."  
"What if it were serious stuff?"  
"You can still tell me. We'll work through the serious stuff just the same."  
Sora thought, taking a bite, then nodded and said, "She asked me where my loyalties were. I told her it was with the Organization, for as long as getting our own Hearts was the goal."  
"Probably always will be too."  
"That's not all. She suggested the idea of a change of leadership, and I told her if it happened, I'd probably go with whoever stuck with that same goal."  
"Oh, so _that's_ what she's been up to."  
"You knew?"  
"She came to me a few days before you showed up, asked me the same about my loyalties. I didn't think much of it until I overheard her and Marluxia discussing bringing other people in on something."  
"Could they really be planning to do it?"  
"You've got enough to prove she is, at least. You're not thinking of going along with her, are you?"  
"I dunno yet. I figure it doesn't actually matter which way I go. I could ignore both sides entirely and just keep on collecting Hearts. One of them will get Kingdom Hearts, and I'll go with them for long enough to get my own Heart... dunno what then. Maybe I'll just wait and see what happens."  
"Don't make any hasty choices, Sora. Think about it carefully. And hey, don't forget your friends."  
"How could I forget you," he laughed. "You're the one put up with me until I stopped being such a zombie."  
"C'mon, you're still kind of a zombie!" Axel teased, hitting his shoulder playfully.  
"Oh, thanks!" They laughed together for a bit, then Sora realised something and asked, "What about you? Do anything interesting?"  
"Nah. They shipped me off to help Vexen test some new thing he's working on for Castle Oblivion."  
"Where's that?"  
"It's the Organization's second base of operations. Big great castle in the middle of nowhere... no idea who it belonged to before, but it was empty so we snatched it up. Word is that there's gonna be a little operation there before long."  
"So what's Vexen's experiment this time?"  
Axel pulled out a card from his pocket. The top of it was almost like that of a crown, and remarkably similar to the crown design the teeth of his keyblade normally made. Beneath it was an image of Axel.  
"These cards. He reckons we can use them to influence the castle, and maybe even manipulate people who wander in. If the rumblings I'm hearing are right, Marluxia and Larxene are tracking down a certain three people they want to lure there."  
"Do you know who?" Sora asked, handing the card back.  
"Not a thing. Not yet, anyway. Just gotta wait and see what happens."  
"Isn't that what we always do? Wait until something happens, then deal with it?"  
"Yeah, since when do you notice that?"  
"Since this morning," he shrugged. "I just have something to fall back on when I get bored."  
"You really want that Heart, huh?"  
"I'm not gonna be complete without it. Might as well work hard for it."


	9. Chapter 9

_Day VII  
__Outside time elapsed: ?.?  
__Warning: No time data to read. Final attempt on next call._

The Grey Area was not as quiet this morning. Sora counted heads as he joined Axel, noting that Saïx, Demyx and Marluxia were the only ones besides Xemnas that weren't present.  
"Is something going on?" he murmured to Axel, leaning on the glass beside him.  
"Probably. Saïx will be here in a few moments. He'll tell us. Any more nightmares?"  
"No. I guess Zexion told you, huh?"  
"Of course. Can't blame me for being concerned about my friends, can you?"  
"No, I guess not. I'm fine though. No strange reflections, no dreams. No memories either though."  
"Zexion told me he reckons the reason your memories aren't returning so quickly as because you're younger than the rest of us."  
"Well duh. I _am_ only a week old."  
"Yeah, but I meant including your life before. We don't know anything about it still, but he reckons if you include that, you're about fourteen, maybe fifteen. Years, that is."  
"Huh. Guess I'm older than I thought. How old are you?"  
"Old enough to know better, and young enough not to care," Axel replied with a grin. "It doesn't really matter anyway."  
"You just don't want us to know how long until we have to get you a walking stick," Sora teased him.  
"Hey, cut that out. I'm not that old."  
"Not yet, you mean."  
"Oh, by the way," Axel murmured, dropping his voice so only Sora heard. "I told Saïx about your discovery yesterday. He said to warn you the boss might want to talk to you about it."  
"I guess that's understandable. Here he comes," he added, nodding to the entrance.  
The room fell silent as Saïx entered, all heads turning to him.  
"Lord Xemnas has called a meeting. We are all required to be present." He glanced around then added, "As soon as Demyx and Marluxia turn up."  
"We're here," Marluxia told him, coming from behind with Demyx in tow. He looked distinctly unsettled, though what by was anyone's guess. "We were just discussing something."  
"Everyone take their place at Where Nothing Gathers then."  
"Sure you can get there yourself?" Axel asked as they began to filter out. Sora stuck his tongue out at him, vanishing into his own dark corridor for his place in the ring of thrones there. Xemnas, naturally, was already there. Did he ever leave this room? If not, it'd make removing him a significant obstacle for any attempt to remove him.  
Sora put those thoughts from his mind. He had no reason to oppose Xemnas. He was responsible for giving him what he had so far. Opposing him was no way to be grateful for that.  
Instead he glanced around at each of the other members. Xigbar was grinning as usual, as if it was his natural expression. Xaldin of course, never betrayed anything in his expression, while Vexen was smirking in a clearly self-satisfied way.  
Lexaeus looked almost like he was dozing, but Sora knew this wasn't the case. More likely he was just waiting until they started to open them. Zexion and Saïx kept their expressions neutral, though Axel, slouching to one side, was lounging with a faint smile.  
Demyx seemed to have gotten over whatever had unsettled him, and now looked bored without his sitar. Luxord seemed no less bored but at least had a pack of cards in hand, keeping his hands busy. Periodically, he'd pick a card out, nod, and reshuffle them.  
Marluxia, like him, was watching each of the others in turn. Larxene looked much the way she had during his first visit to this room, though it was anyone's guess what had put her in a foul mood this time.  
Satisfied that all were present, Xemnas nodded and finally addressed them.  
"Good tidings, friends. Today is a momentous day," he began. Sora smiled slightly when he realised he'd been right about Lexaeus. "I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to wear the coat."  
Vexen's smirk grew more pronounced as a dark corridor opened below, and a figure emerged with their hood up. Their coat was slightly resemblant of both his and Larxene's, suggesting the wearer was a girl – the second to join them.  
"Number fourteen," Xemnas continued, then to Sora's surprise, "Let us all welcome one of the keyblade's chosen."  
The memory of being stood before Xemnas when he'd said the exact same words about him flashed through his mind, making him draw in a breath sharply. The new member glanced up at him as he did so, then back to Xemnas.  
Instead of giving number fourteen her name or title, he merely waved a hand vaguely, and she along with most of the other members departed. Sora assumed those who remained with him had stayed because he wanted them for something else, and Axel's murmured warning to him before they'd entered gave a hint at what that would be.  
He, Axel, Saïx and Xigbar were left now. He looked to Xemnas curiously, but Xemnas instead turned to Xigbar, and said, "Go with number fourteen today. Ensure she learns all she needs. As it was with Sora – all but about the keyblade. We will divulge that when she is ready."  
"She's got command of the corridors already," he pointed out. "What if she leaves the castle?"  
"Don't let her. And if she does, bring her back. She is an integral part of our goals."  
Xigbar nodded, also disappearing.  
"Don't feel left out," Xemnas told Sora. "You are just as essential. We are merely making provisions in case anything should happen to you."  
"You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings," Sora answered. "I don't have any, remember?"  
"Of course. Remain yet a time." Now he glanced to Saïx, who in turn nodded toward Axel. "You have something to report, Axel?"  
"There's a couple of newer members who've been asking questions to certain other members about their loyalties. Saïx and above have been avoided, but everyone below me has been asked. Sora too, and I give credit to him for weaselling the goal of it out of them."  
"Who are the culprits?"  
"Marluxia and Larxene," Axel answered. "I _think_ Marluxia's the ring-leader, but it's difficult to say."  
"Sora?" The unspoken question in that single word was clear enough.  
"Larxene asked me about my loyalties yesterday. I guess my answer gave her the idea that I might be willing to go along with their plan. She suggested the possibility of a change of leadership, and asked if I'd follow it or not."  
"And?"  
"I told her I'd have to think about it before I made any choices, but most likely I'd go with whoever was going to end up controlling Kingdom Hearts. I doubt that'll be anyone but you."  
"Your confidence in me is touching," Xemnas murmured with only the faintest hints of irony. Sora understood why, even his own feelings were only an act. No Heart, no feelings.  
Xemnas closed his eyes, leaning back in thought for a moment. When he finally opened them again, he looked back to Sora and said, "Give the appearance of going along with them. Report any significant findings to Saïx or Axel when you can, but do not allow them to discover you. If they speak at all of Castle Oblivion, then you know nothing beyond anything they tell you. Understand?"  
Sora nodded acknowledgement, but asked, "Should I try to find out anything in particular? Or to stop them if they try anything?"  
"No, to both. In the case of the latter, that is Axel's task." Xemnas turned to Saïx. "Keep Sora's objectives in mind when considering his missions and anything members report about him."  
"Naturally. What of the periodic meetings Sora and Axel make in town?"  
"I guess I can live without them for a bit if you can," Axel told Sora.  
"For the best, Axel," Sora replied. "I can't be seen talking with people who aren't traitors like me, you know."  
Axel chuckled, shaking his head. "You're a damn good actor alright, Sora. You've got me completely convinced."  
"Go to work," Xemnas told them. "And remember, Sora – there must be nothing that betrays you to them."  
Sora gave him a wink as the three of them departed for the Grey Area.  
He and Axel hung back and waited while Saïx handed the others their missions for the day, keeping out of the bustle that ensued. Axel went to fetch his mission only when it quieted down, and as he did so Zexion left the small crowd and motioned to Sora to join him, leading him aside in the room.  
"You recall you asked me to find out about your prior life?" he murmured.  
"Of course. Did you get something?"  
He nodded, "I discovered something yesterday that may interest you. It seems you are unique among Nobodies."  
"How so?"  
"The boy you pointed out to me on Destiny Islands – the one you keep seeing in your reflection – is your prior life. Somehow, you are coexisting with your Somebody. That is why your memories have not returned to you – they remain with him."  
"How is that possible? I thought Somebodies turned into Nobodies when they lost their Hearts?"  
"So did we, but it appears in your case that isn't so. I'm afraid I have no idea how it happened, and I've yet to find his name either."  
"That's alright. Thanks anyway Zexion. Even just that's good to know, it gives me an explanation at last."  
"I'll continue to do research into this for you, but I've been told I may be being reassigned for a time soon, and thus anything I discover may not make it back to you until I return."  
"Don't sweat it. I can wait. Or you could just ask a Dusk to take it to me or something."  
"That's true. Keep on doing good work, Sora," he added, departing for whatever his mission was.  
As he looked back to the room, he noted that only him and Saïx were left now. Unexpectedly, Saïx came to him, rather than waiting for Sora to go to him.  
"I have assigned Marluxia and Larxene to the world of Hollow Bastion to investigate a mass-outbreak of Pureblood Heartless in the area. I want you to join them and tell them you're ignoring your original mission to gather Hearts in Twilight Town."  
"What should I tell them if they ask why?"  
"That is up to you. Make it believable. Be wary of the residents of Hollow Bastion, Sora. We know little of them, and what reports we have suggest that if they think you are a suspicious stranger, they will do whatever it takes to find out what's behind you."  
"No trouble," he shrugged. "I won't bother with the hood, they'll just see that as suspicious. If anyone asks, I'm just looking for my friends. Anything else?"  
"Do not forget what Xemnas told you – not a single suggestion."  
"Naturally. I'll see what they're up to now then."  
Saïx nodded, heading back into the castle as he created his own dark corridor, heading to the world of Hollow Bastion.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hollow Bastion_

Sora exited the dark corridor, glancing around quickly to check no one had seen his arrival. Unless there was someone very well hidden though, there had been no one to notice.  
He was at the top of a long flight of stairs, along what appeared to be a fair sized wall. On one side was a sheer drop, while on the other a winding path lead through a partially rebuilt housing district. Through a gate along the path, he spotted a large open area where people had gathered around four figures, two tall men in various dark clothes, each with a massive sword, and two slightly shorter women, one with black hair and also dressed similarly, the other clothed in pinks and whites with brown hair. He listened in, trying to make out anything, but all he got was the names Leon and Cloud. Probably two of the people there. It was impossible to tell anything without getting closer, and that wasn't an option.  
It seemed unlikely there would be any Heartless near a gathering like that without their being noticed, and less likely that Marluxia or Larxene would be there if they were looking into the Heartless here, so instead Sora made his way along the top of the wall heading down a shorter flight of stairs that lead into an area like that of a fortress. The wide windows offered a considerable view over a canyon filled with Heartless that lead to a tall castle in the distance. Part way up it, there was a larger version of the Heartless emblem.  
Sora glanced at the view, but spotted no one from the Organization and continued through, exiting into a partially reconstructed area that was clearly under construction.  
As he entered, he overheard Larxene's unmissable voice.  
"What about Sora?"  
"What about him?" Marluxia's voice replied. Sora stopped, trying to figure out where they were.  
"I talked with him yesterday. He might be persuadable."  
"Might?"  
"He was uncertain when I asked him. He said he'd be more likely to go with it if it still got him a Heart. I think it might be just about the only thing he cares about." Sora nodded to himself. That, and he considered himself at least slightly indebted to Xemnas still. That was to be expected though.  
"That'll be a part of the goals too. If he's on our side, half the plan falls into place easily, and Castle Oblivion is merely a form of assurance."  
Sora spotted them. Hidden behind some sheets of metal.  
"Why not just ask me yourself?" he announced, strolling down the steps to meet them. "I am right here, you know."  
"What are you doing here?" It seemed to come from both of them at once.  
"Coming to find out if your hypothetical situation from yesterday is a bit more real than you told me," he answered. "If it's not, then just say so. I'm meant to be in Twilight Town right now, and if I'm going to ignore my mission it had better be for a good reason. I don't want to find out what Saïx would say if he caught me."  
"Feeling a little rebellious are we?" Marluxia asked, an eyebrow raised.  
"I could ask the same of you. A change of leadership, I heard. Why?"  
"Oh, various reasons. How do we know we can trust you?"  
"Would I be here instead of collecting Hearts if I weren't genuinely interested?"  
"What makes you think we actually need you?"  
"Would you have been taking about your plans if I was with you if you didn't?"  
"Why should I let you in on the plan?"  
"Do you think I didn't hear enough of it to incriminate you if I wanted to?" Sora sighed, crossing his arms then continued, "Do you really want to continue playing twenty questions with me, or can we just get to the point? I could turn you in and what you've said would be enough for them to do whatever it is they do to traitors, but I haven't. You're talking about seeing if you can persuade me, well, here I am. You don't need to. Don't want me? Just say so, and I'll go back to Twilight Town."  
"And no doubt tell Saïx as soon as you get back to the castle, right?"  
"Maybe," he shrugged. "If it suited me."  
Marluxia thought, putting a hand to his forehead. "We can't eliminate you without attracting attention, and we can't just let you go in case you go running to Saïx – or anyone else for that matter."  
"So we take him on board then," Larxene said. "Protects our interests twice over then. He won't turn us in because he'll get caught too, and he'll work with us so we don't try to get out of it by dropping it all on him."  
"How kind of you," Sora murmured sardonically. "No loyalty among traitors, I see." Larxene glared at him for a moment, something he ignored.  
"What do you know of Castle Oblivion, Sora?" Marluxia asked.  
"Never heard of it," he replied without turning a hair. Maybe it was just because he was a Nobody, but deceiving them didn't seem to be hard for him, or even bother him in the slightest, yet he had a nagging feeling it would have been different had it been someone else, like Axel.  
"It's a world the Organization has been using as a second base of operations for a while now that has some unusual properties."  
"Unusual? It's a castle, how is that unusual?"  
"Many of the rooms inside react to the memories of those passing through," Marluxia explained wearily." If they expect to see a place, then the rooms show that place. Vexen has been working on a way to exploit that to turn it to our own ends."  
"Yours, or those of the Organization?"  
"Both, for now. There's a certain boy and his friends who we plan to lure to the castle. The Organization merely wants them out of the way, we however intend to turn him to our own ends."  
"Taking over the Organization. I see. So what's so special about him?"  
"He is one of the few who share your otherwise unique ability."  
Undoubtedly his somebody. That meant the friends would undoubtedly be Donald and Goofy. Sora decided to keep this to himself for now.  
"The Keyblade," he nodded. "So that's what makes him nothing more than assurance."  
"Exactly. Though your interest certainly allows us to advance matters."  
"Who else is in on it?"  
"Just us," Larxene told him brightly. "You're the only one I went to who showed even the slightest interest in ruining Xemnas' day sometime."  
"Let me guess. Your ultimate goal is to use this boy of yours alongside me, the two keyblades dispatch Xemnas and you go from right down low to lording it on high above the others?"  
"He's sharp, I'll give him that," Larxene observed to Marluxia.  
"Almost too sharp," Marluxia agreed. "Get any sharper and you'll cut yourself."  
"Maybe," Sora murmured. It seemed almost too easy to him. Possibly a trap. "So what now?"  
"Nothing," Marluxia answered. "Until Larxene and I get assigned to Castle Oblivion for the operation there. Saïx has already given me command of the operation. It's merely a small matter of waiting to see who else he'll assign to the castle with us."  
"Thinking of thinning the ranks a little? Making it easier to reach Xemnas?"  
"Perhaps. I doubt we'll be able to bring in many of the higher ranked members."  
"Vexen said he'd be there remember," Larxene said. "And Zexion too."  
"It's anyone's guess who else Saïx will assign, but it doesn't really matter. All they have to do is wear down the boy to the point we can use him." He shook his head, "That's all we can do for now. We wait until the operation starts. So Sora, I assume I can count on you to work with us?"  
"Obviously," he answered. "I can't show any interest in wanting to work with you at the castle though. Saïx has no idea I know about it. He'd find it suspicious if I suddenly knew."  
"I'll talk with him. Maybe I can persuade him to let me borrow you for a time."  
"Borrow?" he asked, trying to sound insulted. "What do you think I am, a bit of meat?"  
"Poor choice of terms perhaps. You ought to get back to your mission Sora, in case anyone goes looking for you. We'll find you if anything comes up."  
"Don't mind me then. I'll turn up to bother you if I feel the need." He half turned, then threw back over his shoulder, "Don't think this has got you entirely off the hook though. I might still turn you in."  
"You still need convincing?"  
"No. I believe you so far. I'm going to see what happens and make my choice closer to the time."  
"You're playing both sides of it, aren't you?"  
"Just protecting my interests. After what you said earlier, I don't think I should count on you to get me out of it if something happens, so I'll make my own arrangements."  
"And if we start to look like turning you in, you'll drop us in it."  
"Naturally. No honour among traitors," he told them, then went to Twilight Town. There was nothing wrong with doing the fake mission Saïx had given him for a bit.  
Anyway, maybe it was better he had the chance of being seen here taking on the mission. If someone did see him and either Marluxia or Larxene asked after him, they'd be able to check that he really had come here, instead of reporting in directly.  
His keyblade had changed yet again he noted, absently sending one Shadow flying into another, both disappearing on colliding with a wall. The handles around the grip were more rounded, and only just barely touched the end of the blade. Any more of a gap and the keychain would have fallen off it.  
The handles were now a grey-blue, with a silver handle, ending in a sharp point, formed from two overlapping triangles, each with an almost heart-shaped gap between the edges.  
He idly wondered what made the keychain choose the form of his keyblade, but decided it probably didn't matter all that much. As long as it did the job, which it did once more by destroying a passing Soldier Heartless.  
The residents of the town gave him mixed glances this time. There was still the usual distrust most showed, but some seemed wary of him now, probably because he kept the keyblade in hand. No doubt seeing him casually dispatch any Heartless that strayed too close to him helped reinforce that.  
Some few watched him pass with some measure of respect, and a few even gave him respectful nods. Grateful for his work with the Heartless?  
It didn't matter to him. He wasn't doing it for them, all he wanted out of it was a Heart to call his own.  
He realised there was a hidden benefit to being inside Marluxia's plan. If it looked like it was working, he could decide to go the whole way and not bother to report back to Saïx at all. He'd realise what would have happened if Sora did do that, and that meant Xemnas would too – but Sora decided if he was going to make that choice, best to leave it as late as possible, to give them the least time to counter it.  
He still considered it unlikely he'd turn on Xemnas though. Somehow, he couldn't find enough confidence in Marluxia's plot to think it'd reach that stage.


	11. Chapter 11

_Day VIII  
__Outside time elapsed: ?.?  
__Data stream not readable. Attempting to reload time module...  
__Error: Time module failure. Events processed during or scheduled for 'sleep' periods will no longer happen._

"_Don't give up," Riku told him, appearing in the gap between the doors. "Come on, Roxas! Together, we can do it!"  
_"_Right!" he agreed. Riku pulled on the door as he renewed his efforts.  
__Donald sank down against the door. "It's hopeless," the duck sighed.  
__The Heartless on the other side of the door seemed to explode as if hit by a powerful blow. He and Riku both turned to see a short figure jump up onto a higher rock, holding a Kingdom Key aloft.  
_"_Your Majesty!" Both Donald and Goofy called.  
_"_Now, Roxas!" The King called to him. "Let's close this door for good!"  
_"_Close it, quick!" Donald commanded with renewed hope.  
_"_But..." he started.  
_"_Don't worry," The King told him. "There will always be a door to the light."  
_"_Roxas, you can trust King Mickey," Goofy reassured him.  
__Riku glanced back toward the realm of Darkness behind him, then quickly turned back and snapped, "Now! They're coming!"  
_"_Donald, Goofy – thank you," The King added.  
__With their combined effort, the doors finally began to close.  
_"_Take care of her," Riku told him.  
__He paused long enough to nod in response, _then woke up, sitting up sharply in complete wakefulness.  
Roxas.  
The name that had appeared in before him just before Xemnas had given him his new name. The name his own one had been created from.  
Roxas.  
His somebody. The reason he had no memories, the reason he could wield the Keyblade. The boy he kept seeing in his reflection, in his dreams.  
Sora threw off the covers and went to the window, ignoring that he was only minimally dressed and in full view. It was only Heartless and Nobodies that might see him anyway.  
"I know you now," Sora murmured to himself, staring out into the perpetual rainfall toward Memory Skyscraper. "Keep your eyes open, Roxas. One day you and I are going to meet..." He glanced down to one hand, bunching it into a fist. "And I won't be the one coming out of it second best," he added fiercely, smashing his fist onto the ledge in front of the window.  
He finally pulled himself away from the window and dressed quickly. He didn't head to the Grey Area, or to the kitchen but instead went down to the floor below and knocked on the door of Zexion's room.  
It took several moments before the door opened at last, revealing Zexion looking rather odd wearing a nightgown in the small gap of the door he opened, but this fact barely even registered on Sora's mind.  
"I had another dream from his point of view," he told the sleepy eyed Zexion, who took this in, then opened the door wider for him to enter after another short wait, sitting on the bed to listen. Sora closed the door behind him then leaned against the wall nearby.  
"I assume it's significant, since you chose to bother me this early."  
"I couldn't say about the time. I haven't figured out how to tell what time it is here yet. But I think it is significant. Probably more than I think it is."  
"Go on."  
"My Somebody - his name is Roxas. In the dream I had, he was with a King Mickey who also had a keyblade, just like mine, but with different colours. They were closing and locking a door to darkness, and I was called by his name several times."  
"Roxas," Zexion murmured, sleep starting to fade from his eyes, making him seem more alert. "The same one Marluxia is attempting to lure to Castle Oblivion. Perhaps there is a connection... the Door to Darkness was locked, you say?"  
"I didn't see it happen myself, but that King talked about closing it for good."  
"It's no doubt locked then."  
Sora didn't see any significance in this statement, and so instead asked, "What I saw – did it really happen?"  
"Undoubtedly. It appears some of Roxas' memories are somehow finding their way to you in the form of dreams."  
"I guess that explains it... there's something else too, not related to this. It's just something I came up with."  
"What is it?"  
"If you discount the presence of a mind in Nobodies, they're pretty much the same thing to Heartless, right?"  
"I suppose you could see it that way, yes."  
"Wouldn't that suggest that Nobodies could consume Hearts the same was Heartless do?"  
After a long pause, Zexion answered, "That's certainly... an intriguing theory. What evidence did you base this theory on?"  
"I just got to thinking, a Heartless is just a body, an empty shell that has instinct only, so why do those instincts tell it to consume Hearts? Give them a Heart, and they don't change, but give them a Mind, and you've got a Nobody. Even the lesser Nobodies want Hearts just like we do though, we just think at a higher level to them, and both of us above the Heartless – but basically, we could be exactly the same otherwise. Only the Somebodies would lack the ability if we Nobodies could do it, because they already have Hearts."  
Zexion took this in, evidently thinking deeply on it.  
"Your theory makes sense. A little basic, and perhaps shaky in places, but it does seem to hold water."  
"Hold... water?"  
"It means I think it might have some plausibility," he explained absently. "If you don't mind, I think I'll take your theory and work on it a little. It could provide some interesting insights."  
"Go ahead. I wouldn't know where to start. Sorry to bother you this early, anyway," Sora added, turning to leave again.  
"Sora. Next time you have one of these episodes... write it down, and hand it to me before I depart on my mission?"  
"Sure thing. Sleep well," he murmured as he left.  
"Not with your theory occupying my thoughts," he heard Zexion mutter as he closed the door behind him.

_Outside the simulation_

Roxas checked the log, shaking his head and smiling to himself. Not only had Sora gone off ahead, he'd also completely altered the entire storyline somehow. He'd even gone to Hollow Bastion, a place he had never been during his time in the Organization.  
Something caught his attention, wiping the smile from his face instantly. Two yellow lines, followed not long after by a red one. Warnings and an error respectively.  
"Uh-oh," he murmured, seeing the error, then tried to reload the offending module manually. It failed again.  
This time he traced it to see if it was fixable.  
It wasn't. Unless he could create an entirely new module to handle the time and timings, Sora wouldn't remember anything during the times he was asleep in the simulation, and he also wouldn't be given the option to exit the simulation.  
But perhaps more importantly, it affected the time inside the simulation. Roxas checked several variables, then concluded that only a handful of functions hadn't been successfully transferred to the backup module, which was thankfully fully functional, being based on an older and simpler, but more reliable version of the same module. Those that hadn't made it had a chance of happening or progressing at a different rate to the simulation itself.  
The Xion data was one such affected function. She could either reach the point where she and Sora would clash either far sooner, or maybe even not at all.  
There was no way to tell how this simulation would end now, and the only way for Sora to leave it now short of his body here needing medical attention would be for it to reach it's ending – Riku capturing him, him living out the week in the simulated Twilight Town, then rejoining Sora. And he knew the simulator was watching Sora's vital signs. There would be no fooling it.  
But what if Sora's story didn't go the same way his had?  
"Bugger," he said to himself, then started working on the data behind the simulation, trying to think of all the possible endings it could have and write situations for them. If Sora didn't hit one, he'd be stuck in there – permanently.

_Castle Oblivion_

Sora exited the corridor alongside Marluxia, who had found him in Twilight Town gathering Hearts again. He'd helped him finish his mission by weakening the Heartless until they barely required any effort at all to finish off, then brought him here.  
Castle Oblivion rose up with many pointed towers, some pointed at odd angles. Many orange lights beamed out from various windows, and up near the top a large stained glass window dominated the highest towers.  
As Sora peered over the edge of the craggy precipice they stood on, he saw it continued on down underneath, going down almost as far as it did up. It looked similar to the castle above ground, but there were many differences, the shape, the layout, the positioning of the lights and towers. There were fewer lights too.  
"This is it," Marluxia told him. "Castle Oblivion. The home of our operation."  
"And final resting place of this boy of yours if the Organization has their way," Sora added, not revealing he knew the boy in question was Roxas.  
"Not if we can help it. Come, let me introduce you to someone."  
"Aren't we using a dark corridor?"  
"Yes. But for some unknown reason, we can't enter or leave the Castle with one."  
"So, we have to enter it before we use it."  
"Precisely."  
Inside the castle was a long, white room, strangely resemblant of their own castle in the World that Never Was. He didn't get the chance to look at it in detail before Marluxia created the dark corridor that lead further in.  
It was another white room, though it lacked a door on one side. Sat at a table with a sketchbook sat a young girl in white, absently chewing on a stray strand of blonde hair as she hummed to herself.  
"Naminé," Marluxia called, heading over to her. "The one I told you about."  
Naminé glanced up, nodding to him. "Sora. You look a lot like him."  
"Like who?"  
"Like Roxas."  
"Who's Roxas?"  
"He's the one we're bringing here," Marluxia told him with a meaningful look. Evidently Naminé wasn't privy to all the details of the plan.  
Sora nodded to show his understanding, then turned back to Naminé.  
"What are you drawing?"  
"Roxas and his friends," She answered, turning it around to see. It wasn't perfect, but he recognised the three figures on it easily.  
"Maybe I'll get to meet them too."  
"I don't think that would be a good idea," Naminé shook her head.  
"No, I didn't think you would," Marluxia said. "But that's not up to you. Come Sora. There's more to see."  
He guided them out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him.  
"Naminé does not know the full extent of what we plan," he murmured to Sora. "She has the ability to affect the memories of Roxas and his friends, possibly even further than that."  
"So that's how you're going to bring him under control... use the other members to slow him down until Naminé rewires his memories the way we want." Marluxia nodded. "I want to meet him before he starts to forget too much," Sora told him firmly.  
"Naminé's warning wouldn't be without reason."  
"I don't care. I'm not going to do anything permanent to him."  
"You just want to test him."  
"Something like that. I want to prove I'm better than he is. Even if he doesn't know I'm his Nobody."  
"What are you going to do if Saïx doesn't assign you to the castle with the rest of us?"  
"Then if you send a Dusk to find me when I can test him, I'll drop my mission to deal with him and return to it once I'm done."  
"You really don't care what happens to him, do you?"  
"Why should I?" he answered in a reproachful tone. "_He_ has a full life, his own Heart. _I _ have to work for mine. Why should he get to exist at the same time as me with all those things I don't have? If I can't have them, then neither can he."


	12. Chapter 12

_Where Nothing Gathers_

Xemnas was absent from the room for the first time, Sora noted as he appeared on his throne there. Evidently he really did leave the room, though where he'd gone...  
Xemnas wasn't the reason he'd come here though. He'd caught Saïx's attention behind everyone else's back and indicated he needed to talk, then come here. Saïx would show up in his own time.  
The room looked oddly empty with no one else in it, and seemed somehow smaller because of that. It was probably just a trick of the eye.  
Saïx's throne was briefly engulfed in darkness, which cleared to show him already looking toward him.  
"Well?"  
"Marluxia intends to use Naminé to rewrite Roxas' memories to the point he'll do whatever Marluxia tells him to instead of merely keeping him out of the way. The other members of the Organization that you're planning to send there he just wants to use as cannon fodder to slow Roxas down to give Naminé the time to do it."  
"Naminé?"  
"Marluxia didn't tell me much about her. All I can tell for sure is that she's a girl with power over the memories of Roxas and his friends."  
"I see. Have you ascertained his ultimate goal?"  
Sora nodded, "He wants to use Roxas and me to dispatch Xemnas and take command for himself. If Larxene and I survive, he plans to put us between him and the other remaining members."  
"Anything else?"  
Sora swallowed. This was the only lie he'd be telling Saïx. "Marluxia wants me to test Roxas when he clears the first floor of Castle Oblivion as a kind of test of my loyalty to him. I've told him I can't mention the castle to you or anyone because outside of them, I don't know about it, so I don't see how I'm going to do it."  
He hoped Saïx would take it. If he did, there wouldn't be as many, if any at all, repercussions from him abandoning one mission just to take out a personal grudge against his Somebody.  
"I will see if something can be done when the operation begins. I cannot assign you to Castle Oblivion, however. While Heartless will appear inside, they will only be memories, and memories do not release usable Hearts."  
"I understand. I'm needed more outside. If it becomes possible though..."  
"Then I will arrange for you to confront Roxas. Until then, continue to gather Hearts."  
"There's a problem with that, Saïx. The people in Twilight Town are starting to recognise me. It's getting harder to find safe places to exit from the corridors, and harder still to find Emblem Heartless."  
"There are more worlds than just Twilight Town. Speak to Axel tomorrow, and have him show you the way to Agrabah."  
"Right. Before I go... do you know her name? Number fourteen?"  
"Xion. Don't interfere with her learning, Sora. You'll have your meeting with her in due time. Go on back."  
Sora nodded, headed directly to his room. There was no point in reappearing in the Grey Area. Saïx would return there, and that had a chance of raising suspicions depending on who else was there, and what was said.  
He stared out the window for a time, noticing a small crack in the ledge had been left behind by his warning to Roxas that morning. He must have hit it harder than he thought. Not that it mattered too much.  
Faintly curious, he brought out his keyblade, noting it was still in the form it seemed to have taken up ever since Xemnas had ordered him to go along with the forming rebellion.  
He left it out, glancing back down to Dark City below, then up slightly to the faint reflection of him in the glass.  
It was definitely his own reflection, but it gave him a sudden, irrational anger directed at Roxas. The keyblade flashed in his hand, changing form. The handle remained the same curved shape, but was attached again to the end of the grip, the whole thing a dark blue, with an orange grip in his hand. The blade was silver except for the end and the teeth, both black. The teeth of the blade had become a single point sticking out with two smaller blades part way along, looking as if he'd impaled a bat with it's wings spread and sharpened.  
The hood on his coat was raised, and his free hand thrust out called a dark corridor to take him down into Dark City. Right now, beating up some of the Neoshadows seemed like a _very_ appealing idea.

_Day IX  
__Agrabah Gates_

Xigbar had accompanied him to this world instead of Axel with the claim that he 'needed a bit of a tan anyway'. In the face of the blasting heat from the desert sun, he understood the statement. It was only just bearable.  
Before he had a chance to look for any Heartless though, Xigbar stopped him.  
"Say, tiger. Where did you disappear off to?"  
"When?"  
"Yesterday. I went to go looking for you, except you weren't in Twilight Town. Saïx said you should have been there."  
He'd been expecting this. Not this soon, but expecting it anyway. Sooner or later, one of them was going to notice the lack of his presence in a world, and if he got careless perhaps even his bunking off missions to work with Marluxia – even if he had been ordered to go along with them, only Axel and Saïx knew that.  
"Oh. That. I just finished early, that's all," he lied, finding Xigbar was another one he could lie to easily.  
"You didn't come back to the castle though, and you weren't at the clock tower either."  
Sora shrugged. "So I like to visit a certain beach in my off-hours. What does it matter?"  
"A beach?"  
"Destiny Islands. I don't know why. It just seems familiar to me. It's peaceful there."  
"You didn't go to... I don't know... say, Castle Oblivion perhaps?"  
"Why would I go to a world I've never even heard of if it weren't for orders?" Sora answered, unfazed.  
Xigbar didn't look convinced. "If I knew that, I wouldn't be asking you."  
"So you think you saw me at this Castle Oblivion place? Is that it?"  
"Not me. But there's rumours and rumblings that need checking up on. Xemnas wouldn't be too happy to find our favourite little keyblade master had decided to turn traitor."  
"Hah. As if I'd do something like that," Sora muttered. "Come on. Lets get this over with before I melt."  
He kept to the shade as much as possible while they hunted Heartless, though the difference in temperature was barely noticeable.  
Like Twilight Town, Shadows and Soldiers were fairly common, but there were two new kinds of Heartless he'd yet to encounter. One was exceptionally fat, and seemed to wear an orange jerkin similar to some of the few residents they'd seen. It breathed fire, and seemed impervious to damage except from behind – which was often a task in itself, as it's fat body belied a considerable turn of speed.  
They worked together to defeat these enemies, with Xigbar attracting their attention and keeping them distracted while Sora took advantage of the unprotected rear to deliver powerful blows, frequently sending them tumbling and even rolling over other Heartless.  
The other new Heartless was far smaller, looking like an animated horn, with a musical note for a head – a head which seemed to be wearing earmuffs. Sora initially ignored these Heartless to deal with the other fatter ones, but after finding their calls not only called other nearby Heartless as reinforcements but also healed the Heartless, they too were quickly wiped out.  
During the battles, the keyblade had returned to the unusual form it had taken on the day Larxene had asked about his loyalties. Sora didn't care too much about the form, being soaked from sweating so much in the heat and exertions, and Xigbar didn't look that much better.  
"That'll have to do," he breathed wearily after they'd taken out four of the fat Heartless at the palace gates. "More than enough Hearts for a place like this."  
"Going to your beach again?" Xigbar asked, somehow managing to keep from sounding too tired. Of course, he had a ranged weapon, the only exertions he'd done were to run around and keep from being hit.  
"No," Sora answered. "I think I could do with a nice cold shower to cool off."  
"Mind if I get us back?"  
"Just get on with it."  
Sora knew the reason he'd asked. In case he wanted to head somewhere else, like to check up on Marluxia. There was no point in that though. Unless the plan changed, all they had to do now was wait until the operation began.

_The World that Never Was  
__Library_

The Library contained a vast number of books on a wide array of topics, factual and fiction, from all manner of worlds. Some few even originated from right here in this world, such as various intriguing reports collected together by the other members.  
After his habitual visit to identify the new Heartless he'd encountered – Fat Bandits and Loudmouths respectively – Sora had started to work his way through some of the more interesting looking ones. Among them was one that detailed the admission of each of the members, himself included. Strangely, Xion was not included, and stranger still, if he guessed the date accurately, it was dated yesterday – so surely whoever wrote it would have had time to add an entry on her? The author wasn't noted on the document however, so he couldn't track them down and ask them.  
Naturally the list started with Xemnas, though it lacked much in the way of information, saying only that he was the founding member, and therefore he was technically the first to join.  
The remaining members, he read, were given their number in the order they joined, and were not respective of the power they held. Sora had already seen an example of that – even Xigbar went to Saïx to obtain missions.  
Alongside Xemnas, the original founding members were Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus and Zexion. Saïx and Axel joined of their own accord together, and it was noted that they appeared to have their own plans when they did so. Demyx and Luxord came next, then finally Marluxia, Larxene and himself. Like Saïx and Axel, there was a note suggesting that Marluxia and Larxene had their own ideas  
So it wasn't just a two-way split in the Organization – it went three ways. What were Axel and Saïx up to? They didn't give the appearance of trying anything, though that may just have been because they were too smart to show it. Certainly Saïx wouldn't dare show any sign of it, as he appeared to be the second in command, handling the missions and it seemed also taking the orders from Xemnas down to the other members when Xemnas didn't give them himself.  
This was certainly an interesting discovery. No doubt if the three factions came out in the open, they'd do everything they could to secure him – he was the key to getting their Hearts.  
He briefly considered tracking Axel down and asking him about this, but if he and Saïx had gone for this long without anyone except the author of this suspecting them, there was no doubt he'd find nothing.  
Which side to take, if it came down to it? What would Axel and Saïx do if Marluxia's plan worked, and he went along with it? If that plan failed, he could fall back on the cover story of working for Saïx, at least – but what if those two then decided to set their plan in motion?  
There were too many threads at work to be certain which of them to follow right now. He'd continue on playing both sides of it for now. It was safer that way.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **You didn't really think I'd try to write all 300 and more odd days, did you? We'd be here forever if I tried that.  
I've stopped using the roman numerals to mark the days, because I have trouble remembering how you're meant to order the letters, and it's simpler this way.  
Lastly, yes, I know when Roxas goes to Castle Oblivion in Days, he passes out, and here Sora doesn't. There is an explanation, and I even wrote it down somewhere, but I can't find my notes right now.  
That's all. Read on.

* * *

_Day 23_

The days had almost seemed to crawl past as it passed the first month of Sora's existance as a Nobody, now almost at four weeks. There had been few developments during the time, and little reason to go looking in detail to find out more. At Xigbar's insistence, Saïx had begun to assign other members to accompany him on missions to ensure he wasn't trying to sneak off and plot anything. He'd managed to catch Saïx alone to ask about it, and he'd been told he still had to act as if he knew nothing. It was a matter of standard procedure to have a member watched when held in suspicion.  
He never assigned Marluxia or Larxene to watch him, for obvious reasons, though it was hardly necessary. In the mornings, Sora made some pretence of glancing through each of the members in the Grey Area, and Marluxia let him know there was nothing worth mentioning simply by shaking his head, making some show of setting his hair straight.  
This morning was different. He wasn't there at all this morning, and a goodly number of other members were missing. It was much quieter, he had to admit, but it also told him something had happened.  
"Where's Axel?" he asked Saïx. Axel, by way of their friendship, was perhaps the only one he could safely ask about.  
"He and the others have been assigned to a long-term operation," Saïx answered, confirming Sora's suspicions. Roxas had reached Castle Oblivion. Saïx continued, "Because of this, we cannot spare anyone to join you today. We have a report of a giant Heartless surfacing in Twilight Town. Eliminate it before it gets out of hand, and remain in the field to ensure no further giant Heartless appear."  
Sora nodded, departing there and then. He suspected the latter half of the mission was an excuse for him not to return to the castle until he gained his meeting with Roxas.  
The side street he appeared in was completely deserted, and a quick glance toward the station showed why. He recognised the form only from it's entry in a book in the library – a Darkside.  
He made his way up toward it, ignoring the various Shadows that gathered unless they become too much of a pest, and as he got closer to the Darkside he made out more details.  
It was mostly human shaped, but with shorter and thinner legs, but longer arms. A Heart-shaped hole dominated most of it's chest, and he could make out a pair of almost skeletal wings protruding from it's back.  
The head caught his attention more though. While the 'hair', if it could be called that, seemed little more than a collection of streaming darkness, seeming to wrap around the lower part of the face like a scarf, the face itself was definitely familiar. It was remarkably similar to Roxas.  
When he entered the area in front of the station, the Darkside noticed him, slamming a fist into the ground where he had been. Sora jumped clear, sent a fireball toward it's head, then quickly ran up it's arm to reach the head.  
As he did so, a memory surfaced, playing itself back in his mind as if trying to distract him. The Destiny Islands were around him, though the water was gone, replaced by a dark storm. Roxas had fought a Darkside there.  
Sora tried to ignore the memory, using one of the streamers from it's head to keep hold as he rained blow after blow on it's head, periodically emphasising them with calls for Thunder. It was hard to tell if his magic actually did any damage, but the keyblade was handling most of it as it was.  
It seemed like a long battle later when the Darkside finally succumbed to his attacks and sank down to the ground. He got clear, ready in case it wasn't fully defeated, but then dismissed his keyblade with satisfaction as it faded into the darkness, vanishing.  
Someone caught him from behind moments later, flinging an arm around him.  
"You're really something, taking on that beast like that!" the stranger told him.  
"Just doing my job," Sora muttered, shrugging himself free. "Nothing more."  
"Weren't you afraid?"  
"I've seen worse," he lied, turning to look at the stranger at last. He had spiky blond hair, though in a different style to Roxas, brown eyes and a black shirt with a grey vest over the top, pants that barely reached past his knees in a camo-print with matching shoes. Sora put him down as one of the residents, someone unimportant to him.  
"I don't know anyone who'd do what you did. Even Seifer didn't show up, and he'll fight anything."  
"He wouldn't have lasted long against it." As he said it, he went to the wall to look down over Twilight Town to see if there really were any other giant Heartless.  
"Who are you, anyway?"  
"My name isn't important," he answered, remembering Vexen's warning that they weren't meant to interact. He hadn't intended for this to happen, but at least he could keep them from finding out too much.  
"Sure it is," the stranger told him. "After doing that, you can't say you're not important."  
"It wouldn't make any difference if you knew. There are some orders hanging over my head anyway."  
"Orders from who?"  
"Mind your own business."  
"I was, until that thing showed up! Then you show up... I've seen you around here before, and others like you... you're not up to anything are you?"  
"Only what you've seen," he answered, knowing the only things they would have seen would be ridding the town of Heartless.  
With a crackle nearby, a Dusk seemed to snap down from up in the air. The stranger drew back from it in surprise.  
_You are required at Castle Oblivion, my liege,_ it told him.  
"Did that thing... just talk?"  
Sora ignored him, nodding to the Dusk, "Go on back and tell them I'll be there any moment and to delay the boy until I turn up."  
The Dusk vanished the same way it came.  
"What _was_ that?"  
"I already told you. None of your business. And if you know what's good for you, you'll clear off – or at least keep clear of me and tell no one what you see."  
He looked as if he wanted to ask what he'd see, but watched instead as Sora created the dark corridor, heading to the castle.  
Larxene met him outside.  
"You made good time," she greeted him. "We weren't expecting you so quickly."  
"It doesn't take much to get here. Is he up there?"  
"Your Somebody? Sure. He's fighting the memory of some Heartless he fought right now. Marluxia reckoned it was a good time to call for you."  
"A little soon perhaps."  
"Go careful what you say, Sora. Axel's been poking around, and we don't know where his loyalties lie."  
"If he's in the way, I'll just deal with him. I'm not going to let him stop me from confronting Roxas."  
"Don't go breaking him now... we need him."  
Sora grunted, continuing into the castle. He paused once inside, then switched the keychain for the original one, bringing it back to the original form and then heading up to where he'd met Naminé.  
Marluxia was also there, as was the Dusk that had been sent to him.  
"Looks like I won't need to delay him at all then. Did Larxene bring you up to speed?"  
"Roxas is fighting his memories and Axel's sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. Anything I missed?"  
"Only one thing," he gestured to a large orb, showing Roxas talking with some people. A few of them were familiar; he'd seen them during his visit to Hollow Bastion. "It keeps track of them. If you'll excuse me... I'd better be ready to meet them when they leave the floor. Pick your entrance time carefully, Sora."  
He nodded, watching Roxas finish his conversation, then exit into one of the castle's white rooms.  
Marluxia, now with his hood up, stood before the stairs up to the next floor.  
"Well, Roxas?" he asked. "Did you enjoy meeting your memories?"  
"Yeah, it was good to meet everyone... but what do you really want from me?"  
"What do you have to give?" Marluxia answered, walking toward them. He paused when a dark corridor deposited Axel in the room.  
"Well isn't this an interesting looking party?" he asked cheerily.  
"What do you want?"  
"No hogging the hero," Axel replied.  
Sora raised the hood on his coat, then used his own dark corridor to appear on the scene between the two.  
"This is _my_ fight," he told them firmly. "You two aren't invited."  
Axel looked startled, looking to Marluxia, who handed Sora four blue cards. "Then perhaps you'd like to test him?"  
"Obviously," he answered, pocketing the cards. "Get clear, both of you. I don't want any distractions."  
Marluxia disappeared, but Axel backed off. Apparently he planned to stick around to see what happened.  
"Who're you?" Roxas asked him.  
"Your enemy," Sora answered, and with a flash, his keyblade appeared in hand and ready. "You'll have to go through me to make any more progress here."  
They looked surprised at the appearance of a keyblade in his hands, but not enough that they forgot to arm themselves in response. Donald and Goofy brought out their own weapons, while Roxas simply summoned his own keyblade.  
"Why do you have a keyblade?"  
Sora didn't answer, instead making swift jab forward. Roxas rolled easily aside, attempting to strike back, but he blocked the blow with a metallic ring as the two keyblades clashed.  
Donald attempted to use ice magic on him, but he melted it with a fireball, splashing it over him and Goofy, then followed it up with bolts of thunder magic on both of them, stunning them and allowing him to return his attention to Roxas.  
He struck out hard, driving Roxas back, but Roxas followed up with a series of lighter and quicker strikes, several breaking through Sora's defences. He paid little attention to them, recovering quickly and launching into a new barrage of attacks, quicker than even Roxas' own ones. His hood ended up flying back, revealing who he was, but it didn't matter.  
Donald recovered from the shock he'd given them, healing Roxas then throwing fire back at him. Sora gave him a venomous glance, pushed Roxas back away from him, then sent the little duck flying across the room to land near Axel. When he turned back to Roxas, Goofy stood in his way.  
Sora decided this was no time to play fair, using a dark corridor to reach move behind them both and attack them from behind. Neither of them were expecting it, and Goofy was down almost before he realised what had happened, leaving only him and Roxas yet again.  
He made another round of attacks, taking advantage of the growing tiredness Roxas was starting to show at every turn, but still Roxas continued to hold him off, stealing tactics from him to drive him back across the room.  
Sora almost started back, but Axel held him back. "Sora!" he snapped warningly. "That's enough."  
He glanced from Roxas to Axel, back again, then finally dismissed his keyblade and took out the cards, flicking them to Roxas. As he caught them, Sora growled, "Next time, Roxas. Next time you're mine."  
To avoid letting Roxas' presence get the better of him, he left it at that, returning to the room with Naminé and Marluxia. In the orb, he could see Axel explaining something to Roxas and his friends, who seemed to have started to recover from his attack already.  
"He shouldn't have stopped me," he told Marluxia.  
"If you'd carried on, we would never be able to turn him to our cause," he reminded Sora. "Better that Axel intervened before you took it too far."  
"You said it yourself, he's just a form of assurance."  
"With him alongside you, we have twice the chance of seizing control, Sora. Don't forget that."  
Sora shook his head. "I should go before Axel gets back. Cover for me, will you? I'm not meant to be here."  
"Of course. Better go quick. It looks like Axel's about to leave."  
He nodded, creating the corridor to the front door of the castle. As he stepped into it, he heard the sound of another corridor opening nearby, and Axel's voice call, "Sora! Wait!"


	14. Chapter 14

_Day 24_

Sora somehow knew he had risen early. Perhaps telling the time here was simply a matter of being here long enough.  
He dressed himself, as usual his thoughts turning to the plans for the day. Turning up at Castle Oblivion was out of the question after his appearance there. Axel would no doubt be looking for any chance to find out what he was up to, as he had no idea Sora had hands on both sides of the Organization just to arrange that confrontation with Roxas. If Axel wanted answers, it would have to wait until after his return from the castle.  
Without Axel, there seemed little point to the ice cream at the top of the clock tower in Twilight Town either. He didn't mind doing it with Axel, but by himself just didn't feel right.  
He decided after his mission for the day, he'd go back to the library and look in more detail at what other members had added to the literature again, to see if he could find out any more interesting insights. After the revelations yielded by the document on the others joining, there was no doubt other intriguing information just waiting to be uncovered.  
Rather unexpectedly, as he was thinking of heading to get some breakfast, someone knocked at his door. When Sora invited the knocker in, it turned out to be Saïx, even more unexpected. He raised a finger to his lips, indicating it wasn't safe to talk openly, then started, "I had an unexpected report from Axel yesterday. He claims you were seen in Castle Oblivion, and robbed him of the chance to test the boy they lured there."  
"Really? I wonder why he'd think that. I don't think I've ever heard of Castle Oblivion before, and I always find it easier to reach a place if I know it's name."  
"So you claim never to have been there at all?"  
"Not even once."  
"You realise I will have to investigate this when Axel returns from his assignment there."  
"I guess it's unavoidable. I stand by my story though."  
"As you wish. In the mean time, I want you to take over the tutelage of Xion. It is time for her to learn about her keyblade, and who better to teach her than you? When she arrives in the Grey Area today, I will assign her mission and you will accompany her."  
"What's the mission?"  
"There has been an outbreak of Fire Plants in Agrabah. Obviously, ice magic will have an enhanced effect on them. Xion has been tutored in magic, so if you see her struggling with her keyblade, instruct her to use magic instead."  
"Right. Saïx?"  
"Yes?"  
"Why doesn't Xion have a throne at Where Nothing Gathers?"  
"There are special circumstances regarding her. Xemnas will reveal the details when he believes it is time."  
Saïx left him alone at that.  
Now he knew exactly what he was going to look for in the library. There had been enough time since Xion's arrival that there was likely something there for him to find out. He recalled that Vexen had seemed especially pleased when Xion had joined, and decided anything written under his name was also worth investigation. Who'd know what he'd find there?

After a short detour to the kitchens for breakfast, Sora returned as usual to the Grey Area, despite it still being fairly early. Only Luxord was already up.  
"Morning Sora," he called to him as he entered.  
"You're up early."  
"Habit," he replied with a short, harsh laugh. "Get up late and you risk missing out on something that happens early on."  
"Means going to sleep earlier though, otherwise you miss out on that."  
"True, that. What brings you up so early?"  
"I just rose early, that's all."  
"You know there's a rumour going around about you?"  
"What does it say about me?"  
"I wouldn't know. I haven't heard it yet."  
"It's probably nothing important then."  
"Maybe. Are you willing to take that risk?"  
"I'll accept whatever happens because of it," he shrugged.  
"Brave boy. Man," he corrected himself after seeing Sora's flat gaze.  
Sora took the seat opposite him, shaking his head.  
"Something up?" Luxord asked curiously.  
"I'm just wondering if I'm really making a difference."  
"How so?"  
"I gather Hearts, right? But I've yet to see the effect of it."  
"These things take time. Kingdom Hearts will take a lot longer to form than this, even if you go out there and gather as many Hearts as you can in a day. Once Xion picks up her own keyblade, it'll progress much faster with the two of you on the job."  
"I think I liked it better when I was the only one," Sora replied. "Kinda made me feel important."  
"There's nothing to say you're not still important."  
"I know. Still, you gotta wonder – a week after I come in, and Xemnas finds another like me who can wield the keyblade..."  
Luxord almost answered, but stopped when Demyx joined them.  
"Anyone seen old x-face yet today?"  
"I saw him on my way up here," Sora told him.  
"Shame. I was hoping someone would have abducted him. What I wouldn't give for a day off work."  
"You're lazy," Luxord accused.  
"I'm just not cut out for half the stuff he keeps sending me on," Demyx protested. "Can't a guy just kick back and play music?"  
"How are you meant to come up with stuff to play if you don't have a Heart?" Sora asked him.  
"You're mean. I should be getting praise for making any hits without one."  
"Hits?" Luxord shook his head. "You call those hits?"  
"Well... they would be if I had an audience that could really _feel_ the music."  
"Good luck finding one." After a short silence, he seemed to brighten and asked, "Anyone for a game of poker?"  
"Not with your cards," Demyx snorted. "I swear you've trained them to stack in your favour."  
"Luck of the draw," Luxord smirked back. "Sora?"  
"Not for me. I wouldn't know how to play in the first place."  
"Simple as anything to learn."  
"Maybe if things turn quiet for a time."  
"Suit self. Morning Saïx."  
Saïx nodded to him, but said nothing, taking up his accustomed place as usual.  
"Does he ever stand anywhere else?" Sora murmured. "Or even leave the castle?"  
"I've known him to go down into Dark City once in a while," Luxord supplied.  
"He's checked up on me once or twice during a mission," Demyx added. "But mostly I reckon he stays here. Wonder what he gets up to?"  
"Who know? I doubt he'd tell any of us if we asked."  
Xion came in next almost warily. She still had her hood raised, and aside from a single glance at him, she avoided them entirely. Saïx spoke with her briefly, then with obvious reluctance she joined them.  
"I'm... working with you Sora," she murmured in a strangely familiar voice, yet he could have sworn he'd never heard it before.  
"I know," he answered. "Ready to go?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well, looks like it's time I'm off," he told the others. "Don't go slacking."  
"Are you kidding? That's what Demyx does best!"  
Sora smiled, though Demyx looked hurt for a moment before sighing, "No one understands me."  
Xion only waited, watching him, so he created the corridor to take them to Agrabah. The Fire Plants were waiting for them – along with the blistering desert heat.

_Sora's Diary_

It's been ages since I wrote in here. So much has happened, I don't know where to begin.  
I can't talk about some of it. I don't want to risk someone reading this and finding out about it. It could cause problems if certain members found out about some of my activities.  
But I did find out some things I can talk about. Zexion figured out why my memories aren't coming back right.  
Somehow I was formed differently to other Nobodies, and my Somebody, Roxas, got to keep on existing at the same time as me. He even got to keep his life and his Hearts along with his memories, leaving me without any of them. That's why I don't like him.  
The Organization gives me my life, but without it what'd I do? I'm always working toward gaining my own Heart, but what work did he put in to it? No doubt he just takes it for granted like all the other Somebodies probably do.  
He doesn't know about me though, and I want to keep it that way. The less he knows about me, the harder it'll be for him to try to do something about me first. This way, I can meet him on my terms instead, and I'll be ready for him.  
I could go on ranting about him, but that'd just make me feel angry at him again... if I even really feel it. Sometimes it seems like I can trick myself into thinking I have real feelings.  
Axel found this keychain thing for my keyblade. It makes it change form now and then. I think it's in response to what I'm thinking, but sometimes when I feel angry over Roxas, it changes into a different form, so maybe that affects it too. So long as it keeps doing the job though, I don't really care too much.  
Speaking of keyblades, Xion's got one too. She's the newest member to join us, number fourteen, but she doesn't seem to have a throne like the rest of us. Her keyblade matches mine without the new keychain attached, and they both match Roxas'... why does everything keep coming back to him?  
Anyway, Saïx got me to teach her about her keyblade same as Xaldin taught me about mine today. We went to Agrabah – horrible place, you're sweating in the heat almost as soon as you get there. But we had easy targets, Fire Plants. I showed Xion how to use the keyblade, and told her if she was having trouble to back it up with some magic. Someone else already got to teach her that. Larxene taught me a while ago. Naturally, ice magic worked best against them.  
With six of our members off on an operation at a place called Castle Oblivion though, the rest of us have to work extra hard to make up for the slack left by them. I kind of wish Demyx was assigned to Castle Oblivion – he's a slacker more than anyone else I've ever known. All he wants to do is play and write music, but I can't see how he does it without a Heart.  
I found some interesting documents in the library here in our castle too, written by the other members. I can't go into detail on what I discovered though. People might get some ideas, both about my activities recently and what kind of things I might get up to. Maybe my diary is meant to be private, but I wouldn't put it past certain members to come snooping if they thought I was doing anything really suspicious. If I can find somewhere safe in my room to stash things that no one else would ever think of, then maybe I'll write them down, but only if I'm sure. There's a lot at stake.  
Maybe too much at stake, but... I've got to protect my interests. If not for Kingdom Hearts and my own Heart, then for getting back at Roxas. Keep your eyes open, Roxas. One day, you and I will meet, and only I will walk away from that meeting.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **If you thought Sora was being devious and manipulative before this chapter, just wait until you've read this chapter and maybe you'll have some idea of what else is going on in that deceptive Nobody mind of his.

* * *

_Day 25  
__Hollow Bastion_

Sora appeared on the top of the walls, exactly where he had for his previous visit. Once more, he checked the area quickly to ensure he hadn't been seen, then satisfied he hadn't, headed to where he'd found Marluxia and Larxene before.  
There were a high number of Pureblood Heartless around in Hollow Bastion, and they were his mission for the day. It would net him few, if any, Hearts, but allowing any kind of Heartless to overrun this world had been deemed unsafe.  
Mostly it was just the standard Shadows, but among their number were several Shadows larger than the others that took a little more work to destroy, along with other Heartless that seemed almost to be just clouds with a jagged line for a mouth and the signature yellow eyes.  
Sora experimented a little more with magic, throwing blasts of air at the cloud-like Heartless. Not only did it send them flying away, it seemed to tear them apart at the same time, saving him the effort of tracking them down.  
It wasn't hard to follow them though – with his keyblade out, they swarmed to him from almost all directions, and only wide swings prevented them from becoming overwhelming in number.  
The majority of them came from a vast tower ahead of him, so he carved a path through the Heartless to reach it. Before the only entrance however, a larger still Heartless appeared, though it was hardly on the scale of a Darkside.  
It was nearly human in appearance, but for a few things; a heart-shaped hole in it's chest, small bat-like wings on it's shoulders and wrists, a long tail, pointed cones in the place of ears and horns that made an outline almost identical to the emblem on Emblem Heartless. In one hand it carried a massive blue blade.  
There were still plenty of other Heartless around however, preventing him from reaching it. Sora snapped his fingers, causing several Samurai Nobodies to respond to his call.  
"Deal with all but that Heartless," he ordered them. "As many of you as it takes. Keep them away from me while I deal with it."  
_We understand,_ the response came. Within minutes, they'd swiftly and efficiently driven back the Heartless to create a ring around him and the larger Heartless, forming a kind of arena. It watched this with apparent interest, then focused on him.  
Sora returned it's focused gaze, watching it carefully for any sign of it's next move. The sounds of the Samurais fighting the Heartless seemed to get drowned out by a pervasive silence.  
The Heartless made a sudden dive down toward him, raising it's blade in preparation for an attack, but Sora launched himself toward it and swung hard into it's side, knocking it off-course. He took advantage of this to seize it's own blade and turn it on it, temporarily dismissing the keyblade to take hold of it in a two-handed grip.  
The Heartless disappeared causing a ring of purple fire to burst out from where it had been. The sense of it's presence was still there though, as was it's sword in his hand.  
"Coward," Sora muttered, then decided if it wasn't going to fight fairly, neither was he. He concentrated, starting to pull on the same darkness that allowed him to create dark corridors, then when he judged the Heartless was close enough he released it through the massive blade.  
The Heartless reappeared again, thrown to the floor in the sparking black cloud that had shot from the blade. Sora impaled it on it's own blade, causing it to try to struggle weakly up to reach it, then it collapsed back, vanishing into the darkness along with it's blade.  
So that was the power of darkness, was it? It seemed almost too easy to use. Maybe it could be turned to other ends as well.  
With it's demise, the remaining Heartless seemed to lose heart – if the term could be used to describe them – and they too vanished. His Nobodies regrouped around him.  
"How many lost?" he asked shortly.  
_Only two.  
_"Anything else to report?"  
_We have discovered a network of tunnels during the battle.  
_"Show me to them." There was no harm in investigating them. Perhaps they'd turn up something useful.  
The entrance wasn't far from where they'd been fighting, which explained why they'd encountered it in the course of pushing back the Heartless. The tunnels were undoubtedly man-made he noted, examining them.  
"Five of you stay with me. The rest go on back." Once only five were left, he continued, "Three of you behind me, two in front of me on either side. Keep alert for any threats."  
They formed up around him, swords at the ready. They'd already seen Heartless here, it made sense to be ready for more.  
Sora built up a mental map of the tunnels as he navigated them, using the Samurais to check around corners and junctions before he stepped into view himself. He doubted there was anything he couldn't handle, but in unfamiliar territory and with the possibility of the residents finding him it made sense to take precautions.  
Many paths were blocked off with fallen debris, pipes, sheets of metal and more. He simply ignored these when he encountered them and found a different route to take.  
Eventually, he came to the only door, unusually intact given the state of the rest of the tunnel network. The two Samurais in front stood on the side it would open as he opened it, stepping quickly back in case anything came out.  
Nothing did. The room beyond was circular, holding bookshelves with books mostly scattered over the floor, a desk and chair at it, the remains of various glass containers scattered around and a portrait of someone who looked remarkably like Xemnas. There were differences however. The eyes were brown instead of the distinctive yellow-orange he knew, and he appeared to be wearing a lab coat.  
The wall opposite where he'd entered looked slightly... off. As if it had been slid aside.  
"Be ready," he warned the Samurais, then put his hands against it and slid it further aside into the wall beside, by the looks of it, just as it had been designed to.  
Still no sign of any threat. He beckoned for the Samurais behind him to come on through, then slid the door back into place, this time fully into place, so no one would notice the difference.  
"Two of you stay here. If you hear anything that sounds like someone coming, warn me, and if anyone or anything comes through, stop them from continuing down this path. The rest of you, come with me."  
The path was more of a clear raised platform than an actual path, looking down over a massive room with strange devices all over, and a great many small glass containers that appeared to hold Hearts.  
He followed it along into the next room, containing a computer and an odd device on the opposite wall. Sora checked the computer, seeing what it showed then starting to examine various options. One of them lead him to something called the 'Heartless Manufactory'.  
He scanned through the details, then tapped his keyblade against his chin, thinking for a moment. A few commands were keyed in, opening a path he knew would lead down to the floor of the room below, then a few more commands.  
Sora looked up and into the massive room again, watching as several of the devices pointed to a platform, sent out beams of something, then cleared to show a group of Soldier Heartless.  
"Stay here," he told the remaining Samurais, taking the newly opened path. Part way along, he met the newly created Soldiers, destroying them and releasing Hearts just like any other Emblem Heartless.  
He made a brief check of the room they'd been created in, then returned to the computer and examined the settings in more detail.  
Several waves and a considerable number of Emblem Heartless - many of which kinds he'd never seen before – later, he returned once more to the computer room, carefully concealing the launcher for the Manufactory and it's settings, closing the door that lead to it. Then he looked up with a nasty grin.  
He now had access to a practically limitless source of Hearts. Whenever missions left him short of them, or if he just felt like beating up Heartless, he could just come here to what was effectively his own private source of Hearts.  
"Go on back," he told the waiting Samurais. "Make sure those up by the other door go too."  
Once they'd left, he ensured he'd be able to return here directly by dark corridor, then created the corridor back to the castle. One last glance back at his new source of Hearts, then he too left.

_The Secret Diary_

Everything appears to be going to plan. Details on the operation at Castle Oblivion are scarce, but it would be unwise for me to go there to find out more. After my confrontation with Roxas, I have little doubt that Axel will show up as soon as he knows I'm in the Castle, which could potentially compromise my position within Marluxia's rebellious faction if he says the wrong things.  
Saïx is keeping the appearance of knowing nothing about my orders to infiltrate that faction. It's inconvenienced me a bit, but it's unavoidable. All the necessary details have been passed on to him for now, so no doubt he and Xemnas know what Marluxia plans.  
Among the records in the Library, I've made some interesting discoveries. Axel and Saïx – or Lea and Isa as they used to be known – joined the Organization of their own accord, with their own reasons. Though I've yet to see any sign of any higher, personal motives, I've decided to keep watch on them when I can. If I can find out what they plan, perhaps I can decide whether I should get involved or not. But being involved in their plan as well as Marluxia's could be too much.  
It depends on the outcome of Marluxia's plan. I've chosen to keep my appearance as the Organization's spy in their ranks for now, but should events seem to be going in his favour I may find reason to side completely with them. This would not be without it's own share of issues, but I'll deal with them as they rise. Xemnas himself could prove troublesome, even if Roxas can be brought under control.  
Information about Xion is scarce, but I've been able to piece together some data scattered through a number of Vexen's documents that outline what it is. Xion is little more than a replica of me. It isn't a Nobody at all, which is why it doesn't have a throne. It does explain why it has a keyblade though.  
I'm keeping this to myself for now, as I have yet to discover the reason for its creation. I also plan to treat it the same as before despite my knowledge of it's nature.  
I have a plan of my own starting to form, but it is too soon to start putting it into place, and depends on what happens to Roxas at Castle Oblivion. Should the Organization have their way, and he merely becomes incapacitated, then I may need to act quickly. On the other hand, if Marluxia's plan goes ahead, I can put it off until a more opportune time. To this end, I have taken a handful of Dusks and had them place themselves within the castle to watch Roxas. They have strict orders not to get involved in anything at all, or to be seen by anyone – even the other members of the Organization that are present there. They're also taking orders from no one except me. They will report back to me as soon as certain developments take place. While I had to take extra care to ensure they would follow these orders to the letter because of the somewhat stupid nature they have, if it pays off it will be well worth it. To use Samurais would mean that even the slightest discovery of them would immediately lead to me.  
Finally, I have discovered a place within the world of Hollow Bastion where I can create Emblem Heartless at will. I have hidden the route to it so that only a determined searcher could find the means to activate it, safeguarding it from all but me. This place will prove useful beyond measure in the times to come, regardless of who leads the Organization and which plans succeed or fail.  
All my interests have been protected for now. It remains only a matter of waiting to see what happens.  
XIII.


	16. Chapter 16

_Day 26_

Saïx was late to the Grey Area. Everyone knew it, but no one wanted to say it.  
Xion, as was her habit, kept to herself away from the others. If it hadn't been for her nature, Sora would have suspected her of emulating Xaldin, who stood similarly on the opposite side of the room to her.  
Demyx lounged idly by himself on one of the couches scattered around, while he, Luxord and Xigbar played poker. He'd given in and picked up the game while they waited, though Luxord insisted they ought to have more players. Demyx steadfastly refused to join them however, and neither Xaldin or Xion knew the game. Sora doubted either of them could be persuaded to learn either.  
He held two tens himself, and there was a third on the table along with the eight and nine of hearts. One of his tens was of the hearts suit. If the right cards turned up, he could end up with a straight, a straight flush or four of a kind.  
Luxord met the current bet, then added the fourth card to the table. Five of spades. No help there.  
"Your start, Sora," Luxord reminded him.  
Sora considered the chances. He might not have had Luxord's gift when it came to cards and chances, but it was fairly clear to him. He could fold, or stick with three of a kind and hope for more. Bet, bluff or keep out of it?  
"I bet 300," he said at last, adding the chips to the pot.  
"Splashing out a little eh, tiger?" Xigbar chuckled, meeting Sora's bet.  
"Your 300," Luxord said, watching Sora carefully. "And another 200 on top of that."  
Sora nodded, meeting this then adding, "Another 150."  
Xigbar met it again, not raising any further. Sora and Luxord now kept their eyes on each other, each looking for any sign that would give away anything.  
Luxord gave first, following Xigbar's example. Sora followed suit, not allowing his expression to change in the slightest.  
The fifth card was added to the table. The ten of clubs. He had them for certain now!  
To hide his reaction to this, he leaned back, turning to Xigbar.  
"Your move. Care to give up?"  
"Not on your life," he answered, opening the betting with a paltry 100.  
"Yours, and another 500," Luxord said, keeping watch on them both. Xigbar winced, and some of Sora's confidence waned. Was it a bluff, or did he really have something better? On the edge of his awareness, he noticed Demyx had put his sitar aside and was watching with interest.  
He took the chance. "That, and..." he counted out chips, and finished, "another 500 on top."  
Now Xaldin too looked up to watch the game, though unlike Demyx his expression remained bleak as always.  
"Way outta my league," Xigbar shook his head, putting his cards down.  
"How about you, Luxord?" Sora smiled at him. "Want to take the easy way out?"  
"Lets see what you got, Sora. All in." Demyx gave a low whistle.  
"All in," Sora agreed. "Go on. Show us what you've got."  
Luxord tossed his cards to the table, revealing two fives. "Full house," he announced. "Fives over tens."  
Sora let his smile grow into a smirk as he laid his cards down. "Four tens. I do believe that makes me the winner."  
Demyx looked amazed. "No one's ever cleaned out Luxord before," he murmured.  
"Well, I'll be," Xigbar laughed. "Looks like you've met your match, Luxord."  
Xaldin treated Sora to a respectful nod, then returned to leaning back against the glass.  
"Well played, Sora," Luxord conceded. "Well played. I was certain you were bluffing."  
"So was I," he answered. "You had me guessing right up until the end."  
"That's the way it's meant to be played. Keep them guessing. Anyone for another game?"  
"There's no time for that," Saïx told them, at last entering the area. "There's word from Castle Oblivion that at least one member has been terminated. No details on who it is as yet. I need all of you to keep on pulling your weight to make up for the loss. Xigbar – go to Twilight Town, find out what the residents know about us. Demyx, Xion, go to Agrabah. There's an infestation of Pureblood Heartless in the area, and reports of a Darkside. Luxord, go to Port Royale and continue your investigations there. You know the drill. Sora, remain behind. I need to speak with you about your last mission."  
The other members cleared out quickly at Saïx's sharp announcement, leaving only the two of them left.  
"What do you think you were doing, Sora?" Saïx demanded of him as soon as they were alone. "Confronting Roxas like that, you almost killed him!"  
"Isn't that the goal of the operation there? Getting him out of the way?"  
"By incapacitating him until our plan is complete. Not by killing him."  
"What difference does it make? Won't he just come after us anyway?"  
"And do what? Kingdom Hearts will already have granted us Hearts by then."  
"So I just misinterpreted the objective. Everyone makes mistakes."  
"You also lied to me. Marluxia claims he never asked you to test him."  
"Well he would, wouldn't he? He wouldn't want you to know that I'm a part of his plan, because you'd know then that I was one of the traitors. I went along with it to gain his trust so I could get more details on his plan."  
Saïx seemed momentarily lost for words, but covered up by saying, "Just mind you remember who you really work for, Sora. Xemnas ordered you to find out about their plan, not to join them."  
"Do you really think I'd turn on Xemnas? The one who gave me everything, the one who's ultimately responsible for me and all the rest of us reaching our goal?"  
"Be careful with your actions. I wouldn't want to give the order to have you terminated."  
"You won't. Do I have a mission for the day?"  
"I have assigned you to a new world today, the Beast's Castle. We know little of it, so you are to find out everything you can about it. Don't use your Nobodies this time, Sora. While they are useful, they lack the ability to properly make sense of the information."  
"I'll get right on it. Expect another batch of Hearts headed our way from it."  
"How can you be so confident without knowing what Heartless will be there?"  
"Call it a gamble," Sora shrugged, opening the dark corridor nearby and ignoring Saïx's disapproving glare.  
As the Beasts Castle formed around him, he felt oddly guilty about lying to Saïx. It had been him who insisted to Marluxia he get to 'test' Roxas, not the other way round. Not to mention the rest... Saïx had come uncomfortably close to finding out how questionable his loyalty was – both to Marluxia and to the Organization.  
He tried to ignore the feeling, looking around at his surroundings.  
He was on a short stone bridge over a moat. The doors of a walled courtyard loomed before him, and the gates that gave entry to the castle lay behind. Visible over the top of the walls was a fair sized castle, though much smaller than Castle Oblivion, let alone the Castle that Never Was.  
Possessors, the Pureblood Heartless that resembled small clouds, attacked as he made his way over the bridge. His keyblade was back in one of it's more common forms again, the one brought about by his joining Marluxia's rebellion. It seemed to pick up on the rebellious streak in him.  
The doors that lead into the courtyard weren't locked, and were well greased, allowing him to enter with ease. Not that the courtyard offered much, several stone statues arranged around a design in the ground, and the larger doors that lead into the castle proper.  
Several Neoshadows attacked him as he made his way over the courtyard, though as usual they were little trouble. Like the courtyard doors, the castle doors were no trouble to shift, getting him in easily.  
Inside the entrance hall was deserted. Several pillars showed mute evidence of some kind of battle. The four doors on the ground floor were all closed, though one of them had light peeking out from under it. Sora moved to listen in.  
"The master really is in quite an unfortunate mood today," someone said.  
"He hasn't been himself since..." another voice, thick with an accent, started. "Surely there must be something we can do?"  
"Perhaps if we spoke to Lady Belle again..."  
There were tapping sounds headed toward the door, so he moved away and headed up the ornate staircase. At it's head there were two more staircases leading back again, but up to the next floor, while ahead lay a large door that lead to a fair sized and considerably ornate hall.  
Sora hid in the hall, watching out through a crack as a short clock and a candelabra came out of the room he'd been listening at, hopping up the staircase. He hoped they wouldn't notice the door slightly ajar, but they seemed thankfully oblivious as they turned to go up the stairs now on his left.  
Once he was certain they were out of sight, he sneaked out again and headed up the other stairs.  
Something higher up in the castle gave a loud, beastly kind of roar. Whatever it was, he judged it wasn't all that close.  
He passed through a short corridor with suits of armour into yet another hallway with another set of stairs along it. Another roar came down from them. No doubt this was worth investigating, whatever it was.  
Two more flights of stairs and another short corridor later, he was stood outside the doors to what appeared to be a ruined bedroom with a large beast inside. On a small table at the back was a single rose, unharmed in comparison to the practically destroyed furniture.  
"Only a few petals left," it growled. "If I don't manage it soon..." it trailed off, sniffing at the air and looking toward the door. Sora quickly hid behind a nearby statue. "Heartless!" the beast roared, bursting out of the room and dashing down the hall without a second glance to him.  
"So he cares for the rose, eh?" Sora murmured to himself. "What would happen if it... disappeared..." He briefly considered taking it to find out, but decided against it. If the beast came back right now though, he'd be seen and no mistaking it.  
Sora returned to the last hall he'd been in, and heard heavy footsteps and growled mutterings. Through a gap in some pillars, he saw the beast coming back again, and any Heartless that got too close smashed brutally aside. Sora hid on the far side of the stairs. If the beast was as distracted as he looked, he'd get away with it.  
The beast stomped past him, oblivious to his presence.  
"No place in my castle," it muttered. "Not for the Heartless. Got to keep Belle safe. Got to keep the rose safe."  
"Belle?" Sora echoed quietly, watching the beast stomp out of sight. "Hmm..."  
He returned to the entrance hall, checking that the walking ornaments he'd seen earlier weren't around, then headed up the flight of stairs he'd seen them go up.  
It was yet another long hall. Was this castle made of them or something?  
It was also deserted, and seemed to have only one door right at the end, pushed slightly open.  
Sora listened in again.  
"If you'd just talk with the master," one voice said. One of the ornaments probably.  
"How can I?" A woman's voice. Probably Belle. "I can't even leave the room without those creatures showing up."  
"Then we must bring him to you," the accented voice proclaimed.  
"Lumiere, you know he isn't listening to us right now," the first ornament told him.  
"Please keep trying for me Cogsworth?" Belle pleaded.  
"It's all I can do to keep him from smashing up his own castle," Cogsworth sighed. "And there's so little time left too. The rose is down to only two petals left."  
"And if the last one should fall before you and he..." Lumiere trailed off.  
"Don't let anything happen to it," Belle told them. "Who knows what it would do to him?"  
"We'll try, Lady Belle," Cogsworth promised. There were tapping sounds again, coming closer. Would he make it to the end of the hall in time? He chanced it, raising the hood on the coat to ensure he wouldn't be so recognisable. He glanced back briefly as he headed down the stairs, seeing the ornaments leave the room. Maybe a foot, or the edge of his coat was all they'd see.  
There were no cries for him to stop, though he doubted there would be. Certainly he had some interesting information on this world, anyway. Enough to report to Saïx – after a visit to Hollow Bastion, of course.


	17. Chapter 17

_Hollow Bastion_

The last batch of Heartless were created on the platform, beelining straight for him and the keyblade. Four Soldiers, two Commanders, a Fat Bandit and a Green Requiem just for good measure. There was no point in giving himself easy targets – a challenge was just what he needed to keep him strong – to keep him above Roxas.  
The Bandit trailed behind the others, waddling along slowly until it could spit fire at him. Sora drew the Soldiers into the path of the fireballs, sending them crashing to the floor and leaving them easy targets. He froze both the Commanders with some ice magic, stunned the Bandit with a thunderbolt, then smashed the Green Requiem to the ground, following up the attack with another powerful blow to the Bandit's head, netting him more Hearts.  
The Commanders recovered, peering around for him, then running into each other into their attempts to reach him first. Sora took a running jump, swinging the keyblade at their heads as he passed over the top of them. The two vanished as he landed, releasing their Hearts.  
"That should be enough Hearts for the day," he muttered, dismissing the keyblade and straightening back up.  
_My liege, I bring word from Castle Oblivion.  
_He turned sharply, seeing a Dusk that hadn't been there before. He almost snapped at it for doing that, but knew it wouldn't make any difference, or do any good for that matter. No sense in shooting the messenger, especially not before it had given the message.  
"What news?" he asked it.  
_Marluxia has fallen. Roxas has been interned into a pod by the girl Naminé. Another boy has been found reaching toward the room where Roxas sleeps.  
_"His name?"  
_Riku, my liege. He has terminated Zexion and Lexaeus in his rise through the castle.  
_"Larxene? Axel?"  
_Roxas terminated Larxene. We do not know what happened to Axel.  
_"Anyone else in the castle?"  
_We do not believe so.  
_"Return to the castle and keep watch over Roxas. Remain unseen at all times. If anyone not already in the castle finds him, bring word." He thought for a moment then added, "And tell me if Roxas goes anywhere too."  
_As you command,_ it answered, snapping back up into the air with a crackle.  
So his Somebody defeated Marluxia. It seemed he was right not to have held much confidence in his plan. It meant his own plans would have to be moved up. How to deal with Xion though... could he use Naminé? Would she even consent to helping him... no, probably not. She seemed to feel some kind of kinship with Roxas. She'd never help him with this.  
He recalled something he'd read among the various notes on Xion, something about copying. Perhaps it was time to look in more detail about Vexen's replica program and see if it could be turned to his advantage.  
Axel though... what had happened to him? And more importantly right now, if Axel came back safely, what would he have to say about his clearly unexpected appearing before Roxas?  
That would be a minor issue though – on the same level as deterring Saïx's suspicions.  
Sora returned to the computer room, covering his tracks once more so that his private gold mine of Hearts remained his own little secret, then opened a corridor to the Grey Area.  
No one here. Perfect – for now, at least. A second corridor moved him to Where Nothing Gathers, finding there was no one there either. Better and better. It looked like he was back before he was expected, despite his side trip to Hollow Bastion. His third corridor whisked him to his room, where he took out one of the unused pads of paper and a pen. Yet another corridor sent him to the back of the library.  
One shelf was examined, then the next, then he found it. A plain, otherwise unremarkable red book penned by Vexen, listing details of his many experiments. It hadn't occurred to him that someone might... misuse them, and so he'd put them all down in here.  
He set it and the pad down beside one of the desks, flicked the book to the relevant section and began to read, periodically making notes on the pad. Anyone who looked at it though would have seen meaningless gibberish – he wrote it in a code so blindingly obvious, no one would think of it. Every letter was advanced by one, so a became b and so on. Simple, easy to remember and so obvious...  
The door of the library clicked. Sora was well concealed behind the bookcases, so unless anyone came back here they'd never know he was here. He slowly set the pen down to avoid making any sound, put a bookmark in Vexen's book as he closed it, then remained still to listen.  
It clicked again, and a second pair of footsteps entered the room. Perhaps a secret meeting? Few people came to the library, he knew that because of his frequent visits here. Two people at the same time? Suspicious.  
"What did you find?" Saïx's voice asked.  
"They were all terminated," Axel's voice replied. "Zexion and Lexaeus by Riku, Larxene and Marluxia by Roxas. I dealt with Vexen myself, just like we agreed."  
"What about Roxas? What happened to him?"  
"I can't tell. No sign of Naminé either. I went down to look for Riku, and when I came up again they were gone."  
Sora felt a sudden chill. If this was so, then a Dusk would be bringing him the news – and they'd recognise the sound of a Dusk appearing, not to mention hear what it told him. But they'd also hear him try to leave by a dark corridor too.  
"How about Sora? Did you find anything out about his appearance?"  
"Marluxia was adamant. It was definitely Sora's idea. Apparently he'd said something about proving he was better than Roxas before he forgot too much. Why bring that up again?"  
"I confronted Sora about it. He insisted it was Marluxia's idea."  
"Is it just me, or is there something fishy in the air?" Uh-oh. "It sounds like he had his hands on both sides of the divide," Axel went on. "Could he have really been working with them?"  
"It's too soon to tell. If he was, without Marluxia he can do no more."  
"And if he wasn't? He lied to you, Saïx. Who knows what else he's lied about?"  
"Sora doesn't strike me as the plotting kind. I doubt he ever had any ambitions beyond gaining a Heart."  
"What makes you so certain?"  
"I sent him to the Beast's Castle today. Demyx stumbled over the world, and reported he saw only Pureblood Heartless there. But there's been a massive influx of Hearts today as well. Either Demyx is wrong, or Sora's going out of his way to work on Kingdom Hearts."  
Sora smiled to himself. They might suspect him of ulterior motives, but they thought Marluxia had been the entire extent of them. Not the plotting kind? Him? If only he'd read his secret diary. And the Heartless Manufactory was proving to be more useful than he thought too – Saïx genuinely seemed to believe a Heart was Sora's only concern.  
Perhaps there wasn't anything to worry about after all.  
"Is he back yet?" Axel asked.  
"No. He hasn't reported in. Don't mention anything about his infiltration mission, Axel. Leave that to me."  
"I reckon you should keep him watched all the same."  
"We can't spare the members right now. The most I can do is to have someone accompany Xion."  
"Why not put her with Sora?"  
_Go on,_ Sora thought. _Play it right into my hands.  
_"With the two of them on separate missions, they can gather Hearts at twice the rate."  
Damn.  
"So give them two missions a day to make up for it."  
Still a chance to do it his way...  
"I'll consider it and see. It'll have to wait a time for things to settle down once the others learn of your return."  
Ah well. Maybe he could stave his plans off for that long. Time wasn't so important unless someone moved Roxas.  
"See if you can get him to start coming up to the clock tower with me after work again," Axel suggested. "I might be able to get him to let slip on something.  
_Nice try, Axel.  
_"I'll speak with him. I ought to get back to the Grey Area."  
"I think I'll go check up on him. The Beast's Castle, you say?"  
Sora assumed Saïx gave some sign confirming it, as nothing more was said. Footsteps to the door, then it clocked.  
"Oh, boy," Axel murmured. "What have you gotten yourself into, Sora?"  
_Wouldn't you like to know?_ he thought to himself.  
A second set of footsteps and another click of the door and Sora was alone again.  
He let out a breath almost explosively, but kept it quiet in case Axel was still in earshot. That had been an enlightening conversation... and they had no idea he'd overheard it.  
…could it have been planned to deceive him? No, of course not. That was just overthinking things.  
Saïx had no reason to plant something like that.  
Sora reopened Vexen's book and continued to make notes on the nature of Replicas and their fascinating copying ability. If he couldn't use Naminé, he could use the next best thing.

_The Secret Diary_

All members assigned to Castle Oblivion were terminated except Axel. Marluxia's plan failed. Though Saïx and Axel still appear to hold some suspicion on me, I believe it possible to convince them I was only acting in the interests of furthering my orders.  
Other plans are proceeding without incident. Roxas sleeps within Castle Oblivion. Naminé, who appears to hold some kind of friendship with him, is with him. Axel reported her 'missing', but I have my suspicions. The Dusks would have informed me. It appears Axel also has personal plans that he does not share with Saïx.  
My investigation into Xion and Replicas has yielded invaluable information. I believe it may be possible to turn Roxas to my own goals after all. However, I must know what effect he has had on Xion. If current data is to be believed, whenever it is around me it will pick up on the memories Naminé forced Sora to forget, which leak to me, and through me to it.  
Being assigned on the same mission with it would speed the leaking, but would also give an idea of the effects so far. With some more research on the copying ability of Replicas, it may be possible to alter it to literally copy, and on demand rather than just within my presence at a slow rate. This is essential to the plan.  
I've begun to utilize the powers within the darkness for more than just dark corridors. At present, only a few small uses of it. Early indications suggest that far greater things can be achieved by it. A risk lies in the future with it – continuing to make use of it after obtaining a Heart would be detrimental, and could cause the loss or even destruction of that Heart. If it becomes necessary to continue to make use of the darkness, a way must be found that prevents it from consuming the Heart.  
Meanwhile, I continue to gather Hearts for Kingdom Hearts. The Organization provides the pathway to creating it. I have yet to find the method behind it, and so for now they remain necessary. If I cannot find the method by the time Kingdom Hearts becomes complete, other arrangements will need to be made. Allowing another to control it would instantly end any ambitions I have toward making use of what few of it's vast powers I know of.  
XIII.


	18. Chapter 18

_Day 27_

All surviving members of the Organization, Xemnas excluded of course, were already in the Grey Area that morning. Several gave Sora suspicious glances as he passed through. Evidently word had spread quickly.  
"Where to?" he asked Saïx.  
"Nowhere today, for you."  
"Mind if I stop by somewhere else then?"  
"Yes. You'll remain here."  
"Suit self," he shrugged. He'd hardly expected to get out of explaining his actions that easily, but it had been worth a try.  
He paid attention as the missions began to be handed out. Xigbar to a world named the Land of Dragons. Xaldin to the Beast's Castle. Demyx to Hollow Bastion with Xion. Luxord once more to Port Royale. Knowing where everyone was going to be could be useful.  
"What about me?" Axel asked Saïx. "Don't I get a mission?"  
"Later. You two, with me. Xemnas is expecting us."  
Sora considered departing then as he watched the two disappear for Where Nothing Gathers, but decided against it. It was too soon to let on that he held no loyalty to them any longer, and so after only a short delay he followed.  
The room was silent for a few moments after he joined them, with all eyes on him.  
"Explain yourself," were the only words spoken, by Xemnas.  
"What's to explain?" he answered calmly.  
"You lied to me," Saïx accused. "It was your idea to confront Roxas, not Marluxia's."  
"Yes," he agreed. "And? I already told you it was so I'd gain his trust."  
"You told me he wouldn't have told me it was his idea because it would identify you."  
"And it would have. If you'd just suddenly assigned me to do it, he'd know that I wasn't all I seemed to be, and if I'd just gone there and done it you would have held me suspect for going in their favour."  
"You could have told me. There was no one else around."  
"It never hurts to take precautions," Sora shrugged. "I just did what I believed necessary."  
"And Roxas?" Axel asked. "Did you really feel it necessary to nearly kill him and his friends?"  
"I let personal matters influence my judgement. I'd say I let my feelings cloud it, but that would be the most obvious lie I could tell."  
"What happened to you, Sora?" he asked then, shaking his head. "You've changed while I was at Castle Oblivion."  
"No one stays the same forever. Whenever you learn something new, it demands a change in perspective. Once you make that change, you can't go back to the innocence you had before." He frowned, then added, "Unless of course, you're a replica like Xion."  
Axel seemed stunned. "Replica?"  
"A curious little discovery I made," Sora went on. "An imperfect replica, designed to take the memories of Roxas from me as he was forgetting them. The imperfection comes from it having no set identity unless memories leeched from me give it one. Alter it to make it appear identical to me, and it becomes perfect in all ways to me at the moment of my creation."  
"How did you discover this?" Saïx asked, but as he did so Xemnas raised his voice over his.  
"What do you plan to do about it?" he asked.  
"Why would I want to do anything about it?"  
"Then why bring it up?"  
"Only to point out that replicas can be altered at will if you have the proper tools, unlike Nobodies. Force them to forget or remember, change their personality, their appearance, it's all down to making the right changes. Nobodies don't have that luxury – if it can be called that."  
"You will remain here in the castle today, Sora," Xemnas told him. "Xion will have to gather Hearts today. Axel, take that order to her. It is her duty to replace Sora when Sora is not able to reach Emblem Heartless."  
Axel nodded, then disappeared. Xemnas glanced to Saïx, who also departed.  
"Does that include going to Dark City? Or can I visit there freely?"  
"Provided you do not leave the World that Never Was."  
Sora nodded, almost left, then a thought occurred to him.  
"Axel and Saïx have their own agenda," he told Xemnas. "I... overheard a conversation between them. Vexen was eliminated by Axel by agreement with Saïx. I know Vexen wasn't a part of Marluxia's uprising. All I know for sure is that he couldn't tell whether Vexen was with or against him."  
"Why mention it?"  
"I don't think it's me you have to worry about. I think they're the ones more likely to be working against you now."  
"Go on."  
"I looked into the records detailing everyone's induction into the Organization. It was noted that Axel and Saïx appeared to have their own plans in there, and the same for Marluxia and Larxene. In the case of the latter, their plans came out into the open and were stopped."  
"But the former have yet to act against me, Sora."  
"They already have. Why else eliminate Vexen? What if something should happen to Xion? He was the only one who knew how to repair them, let alone alter them. I think Saïx might have found out, and – this is just a theory so far – I also think he's planning to use Xion against you."  
"What do you suggest?"  
"Let them – for now. But I think it would be wise to find some form of protection for Kingdom Hearts, to keep anyone other than you, me and Xion from affecting it. It would prevent any disloyal members from trying anything, and though we can hope it never happens, if intruders should make it here..." he left it hanging.  
"That still leaves you and Xion," he pointed out.  
"I have no intentions of turning on you," Sora lied, hoping he showed no trace of deception. "What would have happened to me if the Organization hadn't found me? I'd still have nothing."  
"And Xion?"  
"I'm thinking of searching the library to see if Vexen left anything useful about Xion or other replicas in there, and seeing if I can figure out how to alter it. I haven't quite figured out what alterations to make, but that depends on what I discover. Failing all else, it can be destroyed, leaving just us."  
"The knowledge that you have lied to other members places your own loyalty in suspicion, Sora."  
Sora looked him in the eye and firmly stated, "You have my word that I have never and will never indulge in any act against you without orders to appear to do so directly from you. I swear it."  
Xemnas stared at him for what felt like hours before he finally gave a slow nod and answered, "I believe you. You may go now, but remember-"  
"Not out of this world. I know."  
Sora returned to the Grey Area first, where Saïx waited.  
"What took you so long?"  
"I was just confirming my loyalty to him," he answered offhandedly. "Nothing to worry about in the slightest. Why, did you need me for something?"  
"We need another member in the field," Saïx told him. "Since you are confined for the day, I will handle the remaining mission. You will hear the reports back in my stead until I return, and give me the reports you have already taken afterwards."  
"You trust me to do that?" he asked slyly. "Even after what I've done?"  
"I have little choice. I will be checking up with the other members if anything seems suspect in yor report."  
"Really Saïx, the way you make it sound anyone would think I'm a scheming traitor just waiting to be uncovered."  
"And are you?"  
"If I were, I wouldn't admit it, would I? There's only two things I want, and I've no reason to hide them from anyone."  
"They are?"  
"My own Heart, and following orders. Even if it means committing a few minor lies in the best interests of those orders. Why don't you run along, Saïx? I'll mind the shop for you."  
When Saïx left, handing a clipboard with the details of all today's missions on, Sora smirked to himself. They had taken it, hook, line and sinker! He even appeared to have Xemnas behind him – even if he didn't know it was going to cost him later.  
Sora glanced to the clipboard, seeing that they were all going to take time to complete. Xemnas had kindly given him free run of both the castle and Dark City, and Saïx had ensured no one else would be around for it. His smirk grew broader, almost vicious.  
The clipboard was stowed in one of the larger pockets inside his coat, then he opened a corridor down to the place he'd taken command of the Samurai Nobodies. As usual when he hadn't sent them out anywhere, they gathered here.  
"Bring me one of every kind of Nobody except the Dusks," he told them.  
It didn't take them long to round them up. Sora knew of each of them and their names, but had never seen any Nobodies but his own and the Dusks.  
Gamblers were commanded by Luxord, and appeared to be little more than an animated set of clothing in pink. It tossed a pack of cards and some dice in either hand. It's head was just a set of three points, on upwards and two outwards.  
Dancers, probably Demyx's only audience, looked almost human but lacking a face. They were the only one of the Nobodies to be distinctly more feminine in appearance, and appeared to wear long pink pants and a similarly coloured hat – though it could have been hair.  
Axel's Assassins seemed a lot like silver and purple hunchbacks. The arms had lines of spikes protruding from them in alternating colours, and it appeared to have it's long tongue lolling out.  
The Berserker Nobodies of Saïx's were easily the biggest of all the lesser Nobodies. Like the Dancers, they held a massively human shape, with huge fists and feet. In one hand it held a massive t-shaped blade Sora had learned was a claymore, matching Saïx's own weapon – though he'd never seen it drawn.  
Dragoons were resemblant of dragons, though much smaller and thinner. They had flat, pointed wings, and carried a spear, just like Xaldin. Their draconian head seemed little more than an overly ornate helmet however, as their true face was visible part way down the dragon's 'neck'.  
The Snipers took after their commander, Xigbar and were the only one to fight from range without resorting to magic. They too held on to a more humanoid appearance, even going so far as to mimic Xigbar with a patch over the place where one of their eyes would be. They also seemed to be able to stand on empty air itself without the need for wings, an interesting ability.  
Finally, the Sorcerer Nobodies of Xemnas resembled a hooded monk's robe, or perhaps even the coat he himself wore. The sleeves were brought together, concealing the hands inside. Though it wasn't apparent right now, Sora knew they attacked by creating magic cubes, making them the only Nobody to use magic at all.  
Sora regarded them all for a few moments, then decided now was as good as any other time.  
"Your commanding Nobodies are all still alive," he told them. "However, as Castle Oblivion has shown, the Organization can lose members. In the hopefully unlikely event that any of you lose your commander, I'd like you to consider joining the Samurais – not becoming one of them, but following their example and allowing me to command you. You don't have to make the choice now, but I'd appreciate being told either way. Try to catch me alone if you're going to tell me though. I'll tell the other members myself in my own time. Any questions?"  
_What of the Dusks? _one of them asked. With so many Nobodies around and so close to him, it was impossible to tell which.  
"The Dusks work for all members. Unless all of the others fall, there's no point to giving them the same offer I'm giving you. I'd say it's pretty unlikely we'll lose all except me, wouldn't you agree?"  
_What of our current Commanders?  
_"What about them? They're still your commanders. All I'm suggesting is that if something should manage to destroy them, thus leaving you without a commander, you're free to come to me."  
There seemed to be a moment of silent communication between each of the ones brought to him, and even among his Samurais.  
_It will be considered,_ several Nobodies told him at once. _May we go?  
_"Of course. I'm headed back up to the castle now anyway. I do hope none of you ever have to take me up on my offer, of course, but accidents do happen," he told them, then opened the corridor back up to the Grey Area. "And they will happen if I have anything to do with it," he added to himself once he arrived. "More than once if necessary."


	19. Chapter 19

_Day 40_

After being let back out on duty just a few days after the meeting with Xemnas, Sora had attacked the missions head on, completing them in less than half the time they expected him to. When he wasn't working with others, he filled up the extra time at Hollow Bastion.  
The Dusks had brought word to him that Roxas and Naminé had been moved to the basement of an old mansion in Twilight Town, then not long after had also reported that Riku was not only with them, but impersonating a member of the Organization by wearing the same coat and gloves they did. How he'd obtained them was a mystery.  
As he'd taken to waiting until he knew what all the other members were assigned to do for the day, Sora knew that Xion had been given the task of tracking down and eliminating Riku yesterday. The lack of her presence in the Grey Area today meant either she'd left unusually early, or hadn't returned.  
"Sora," Saïx called to him as he entered. "Come here."  
"Have you ever considered being less blunt, Saïx?" he asked.  
Saïx ignored the comment. "Xion failed to return from her mission yesterday. She was last seen in the vicinity of Twilight Town. Find her and bring her back."  
"Anything worth noting before I go?"  
"The residents are still aware of us, and seem to hold you in respect for reasons unknown. You are authorised to make use of them to locate her, but do not provide them with any unnecessary information about us."  
"Of course not. I'll get right on it."  
Ordinarily, he would have waited to hear where the others were headed, but this was a golden opportunity to get to her before anyone else did, not to mention meet Riku – who until now, he'd only seen in the periodic dreams and memories from Roxas, or seemingly possessed by someone who looked like Xemnas. Perhaps Riku could be integrated into the various plans somehow, knowingly or not.  
As he had the benefit of the reports from the Dusks, he exited his corridor outside the gates of the old mansion, tucked away from the main part of Twilight Town itself.  
The gates were chained shut, but after one of the more recent dreams Roxas' memories had given him, this was no trouble. He pointed the keyblade at the lock, and in moments the lock and chains had clattered to the ground.  
He didn't even have time to open the gates before a dark corridor deposited someone in his way. He'd have called them an Organization member, but no member had the teal blue hair that Riku did. Interestingly, he also wore a black blindfold over his eyes, something the Dusks had neglected to tell him about, and something he'd never seen Riku wear before.  
"You would be Riku," Sora nodded to him. "We meet at last."  
"What do you want here?"  
"I'm looking for a missing member of the Organization. Perhaps you know of her – Xion?"  
"What makes you think she wants to be found by you?"  
"Whether she wants to or not isn't important. It's my mission to take her back."  
"I won't let you do that."  
"Why not?"  
"Why should I tell you?"  
Sora sighed. "Riku, assume for a moment that my morals are flexible enough to consider turning on the Organization. Why would you protect Xion from them?"  
"She was never meant to be – much like you."  
"You know who I am then."  
"Roxas' Nobody. Naminé told me about you."  
"Do you know what Xion is?"  
"No. Naminé thinks she's a Nobody, but..."  
"You can't tell who's. I can clear that up for you."  
"Why?"  
"Did you think I told you about flexible morals for the fun of it? Xion's a damaged replica of me."  
"Replica? You don't mean... like the replica of me I met in Castle Oblivion?"  
"I wouldn't know, I never met any other replicas. Vexen's research suggested there was another, but that was all."  
"You say she's damaged?"  
Sora nodded, "The Organization created her to steal Roxas' memories through me, but the process isn't working properly."  
"So that's where the memories have been going. Naminé's been trying to piece his memories together, but there's been trouble. Roxas will never wake up unless she can get the memories back. But that doesn't explain why it isn't working."  
"The original process was meant to take the memories from me only, but it seems she's taking more than that from me. I've looked into the process, and I believe I can not only fix it, but return the stolen memories."  
"Roxas still won't take up – not as long as you exist."  
Sora made some show of feeling bad about it, after a pause answering, "I know. I'll have to go with the memories back to him for that to happen. But the least I can do is undo the damage Xion has done."  
"What will you do in the mean time?"  
"There's... loose ends I want to tie up. If you'll give me Xion, I can make a start on it."  
"How long will it take you?"  
"Hard to say. If I take her back to the Organization's headquarters, it'll take less time. You probably won't see her again."  
"Why not?"  
"Because everything that makes her up will become a part of me. All I have to do is come back here and join Roxas."  
"Give me a reason to trust you, Sora. I heard about your attack on Roxas."  
"Orders," Sora brushed it aside. "Axel was part of a group that was acting against the Organization, I'd been assigned to infiltrate that. I had to at least act the part." Riku still looked at him sceptically, so he went on, "I know I'm not meant to exist. Ever since I found out about Roxas, I've wanted nothing more than to get back to him so he can be complete again. It's no life, having to work for a group who's just using me. If I go back to him, they can't do that any more."  
"Come with me," Riku answered shortly, leading him into the mansion. Sora smiled to himself behind his back. Brought into the plan perfectly.  
Of course he had no intentions of making good on his statement. If anything, he was going to destroy Roxas, not join him. No way that was going to happen.  
Riku lead the way to and upstairs room, then down into a basement that was clearly in better condition than the mansion itself, not to mention made metals instead of the older woods.  
A number of pods lined the wall of a corridor they passed through. He paused at the only two occupied ones, spotting Donald and Goofy dozing inside, then caught up with Riku as he entered another room.  
A strange figure sat at a multitude of computer displays glanced up as they entered. He had red bandages belted around his head, revealing only his mouth and one yellow-orange eye. He wore a red robe, covering a black one underneath with pouches and various odd designs on.  
"What's the meaning of this, Riku?" he asked sharply. "I told you to get rid of him!"  
"Sora's turning on the Organization to help us," Riku told him. "I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't believe him."  
"Sora?" the stranger asked. "The Nobody of Roxas?"  
"That's me," Sora answered. "And you are?"  
"You may call me DiZ. Just how do you think you can help?"  
"Xion's a damaged replica of me, and the final resting place of the missing memories Naminé has been trying to put back together. If you'll allow me to take her back with me, I can resolve the problem."  
"And then what? You'll turn on us?"  
"No. Then I'll come back here and rejoin Roxas. Isn't that what you wanted in the first place?"  
"What of Xion?"  
"I'll have to destroy her to get all the memories out of her. Regrettable, but unavoidable."  
"Riku?"  
"Like I said. I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't believe him."  
DiZ seemed harder to convince than Riku had been. A bit of perseverance should solve that.  
"Can I... see him?" he asked, feigning hesitation.  
DiZ nodded, "Go with him, Riku."  
"Right," Riku answered, beckoning for him to follow. Through one large room, another hall of pods, then into a large white room. Several circles of green glass lay around another, larger pod.  
Riku held back, following behind him as he approached the pod, seeing the familiar Roxas inside, wearing his distinctive red clothes, the crown on a chain around his neck, the black jacket...  
Sora knew he had to keep in character to keep on persuading Riku, so just loud enough for him to hear he murmured, "Not long now, Roxas. I'll be back before you know it. Sleep just a little longer."  
"You almost sound like you have a Heart," Riku remarked quietly.  
"Sometimes I can even trick myself into thinking I have them," he answered. "But they're not real. Only his are real." He lay a hand against the pod, then turned back. "If I go back... what'll happen to me? Will I just... disappear?"  
"DiZ reckons you'll maintain a bit of a presence within him. Maybe some of you will show through on him."  
"Riku... do you know how I was created?"  
"Roxas stabbed himself with the Keyblade of People's Hearts to release Kairi's Heart. It had taken refuge within his... but releasing it turning him into a Heartless."  
"And created me... but if he was a Heartless..."  
"Kairi brought him back out of it. That's why the two of you both exist."  
"But I shouldn't exist, should I?"  
"No."  
"I can't keep my own existance, can I?" Riku shook his head. So he gave what he hoped was a sad smile, then said, "I'd better get to work with Xion then... the sooner he wakes up, the better, right?"  
"She's upstairs. Stay with DiZ. I'll go get her."  
Sora nodded, returning with him as far as the room with the computer and DiZ, then holding back. Riku nodded to him before he left.  
"You seem to have made a fair impression on Riku," DiZ noted. "For a Nobody, that is."  
"Just doing what feels right to me," he answered. "If I can really be said to feel anything."  
"You realise the Organization isn't just going to let you do this."  
"They don't even know I'm not loyal to them. I work with them because I have nothing else to do, and because they'd destroy me if I didn't."  
"Why take Xion to them then? Why not do it here?"  
"Because I'm not Vexen. He was the one who created all replicas, the one who knew everything about them. I've found a book which has his notes on them, but if I tried to take it from the castle, it'd be noticed. Doing it from memory with something as complex as this... better I use the mission I was given as a cover. I can take her back safely, perhaps even persuade the boss to let me work on her without interruption from anyone else if I'm careful. It shouldn't take too long for me to finish."  
"Why fix her at all? If you'll have to destroy her anyway..."  
"If I don't fix her, the memories contained within could become damaged."  
"Ah, I see... so you'll return here once it's done?"  
Sora nodded. "I'll... be back to give him back everything I took."  
Riku rejoined them then, carrying the unconscious form of Xion.  
"Naminé said she passed out when he appeared," Riku explained, nodding to Sora. "She also said to tell you if you try anything, I'm to make sure you get hurt for it personally," he added.  
"Me?" Sora asked innocently, taking Xion from him. "Would I do anything like that?"  
Riku smiled at that, and even DiZ managed a short laugh.  
"Take care of her," Riku told him. The same words he'd told Roxas when they'd closed the Door to Darkness. Like Roxas, he nodded acknowledgement, then stepped back into a dark corridor.


	20. Chapter 20

_Day 41  
__Where Nothing Gathers_

Sora waited in the empty room for the second time in his life, this time for Xemnas. He'd persuaded Saïx to find him and let him know he needed to tell him about Xion. He hoped he wouldn't come here with Xemnas when he got the message. Sora suspected he'd object to his plans because it would lose them Xion.  
When Xemnas appeared at last, it was thankfully without Saïx.  
"What do you have?" he asked.  
"I retrieved Xion, and found out something about Roxas and Naminé. Riku is working with them alongside a man named DiZ to reawaken Roxas. He won't wake up as long as I still exist though. I believe if I turn Xion into a perfect replica of me, and alter what it knows so it believes it really is me, and wants to rejoin Roxas, he'll wake up."  
"We don't want him to wake up, Sora."  
"I think we do. If we leave enough clues for him, he'll think we have the Heartless under our command, and he'll fight them. If he does, every one slain by his keyblade will go to our Kingdom Hearts, same as for me. That frees me up to do other tasks, or just to gather even more Hearts. Kingdom Hearts will be completed in no time."  
"And what if he makes his way here?"  
"Then I'll deal with him myself. He'll think I don't exist, so won't be expecting it. That leaves me free to do all kinds of things to him before he knows it."  
"I fail to see your logic, Sora."  
"It goes like this. Roxas and his friends think I'm gone. From what I gather, he won't have any memory of what happened at Castle Oblivion, so won't remember who we are anyway. He'll go on defeating Heartless the way he always has, contributing to our cause. All we have to do is keep up our activities in various worlds, forcing him to go to each and fight Heartless there. Even if he comes here, with the combined effort of him and me, we'll have completed Kingdom Hearts and reached our goal."  
"So your reasoning is that he can do better than Xion?"  
"Exactly. We don't even have to worry if other members fall to him, because as long as he and I gather more Hearts, we'll still be working toward the goal. Will you let me do it?"  
"What would you need?"  
"I've already got everything, I can use Xion's room as long as no one disturbs me."  
"How long?"  
"That I can't say. If Vexen's research notes are accurate, I think I can have it done in two, maybe three days. That's assuming I get my sleep and don't go on missions."  
"The delay is worth it. Go to work, Sora. I will speak with Saïx, but you must make up the lost time and Hearts afterwards."  
"No worries. I'll make up for it easily."  
"About that, Sora... there were no Emblem Heartless at the Beast's Castle, were there?"  
"No."  
"Where did you get the Hearts on that day?"  
Maybe Xemnas could be trusted with the knowledge.  
"I found a place in Hollow Bastion the residents don't know about that can create Emblem Heartless. I've been going there when I finish quickly, or if there aren't many on my assigned mission. Could you... keep it to yourself please? It's sort of a secret."  
"It is safe with me. Now get working."  
Sora nodded, reappearing in the library briefly to take Vexen's book, then moving to Xion's room to start work.

_The Secret Diary_

Plans are proceeding quicker than originally intended, but this is not an issue. So far, the obvious parts of my plan have been disguised as being in the best interests of the Organization, and even with the blessing of Xemnas. If only he knew how much this will cost him.  
Other members have been kept in the dark about the joint-plans I have hatched with him. While it may appear counter-productive to awaken Roxas, especially this soon, in the long run it will benefit me. Those with him – Naminé, DiZ and Riku – will believe me gone, and thus I should be able to move about with ease.  
We have also agreed to lead Roxas to believe that the Heartless are under the command of the Organization, which will benefit Kingdom Hearts. This, along with my own efforts, should see it's completion far sooner than expected. Roxas will be able to gather Hearts much more effectively than Xion or I can.  
Kingdom Hearts should soon be visible, based on what I have gleaned about it. As soon as my work with Xion is complete, I will make use of what extra time I have outside of missions at Hollow Bastion to gather as many as possible. Completing it before Roxas becomes aware of the Organization does not appear to be possible, but I remain confident it can be done before he reaches the World that Never Was. A delay will be necessary however, to ensure that Xemnas does not attempt to use Kingdom Hearts before time. A great deal hinges on gaining mastery over it.  
Xemnas has yet to put any protection in place for Kingdom Hearts, though I remain confident that this will not be overlooked. If he does choose not to, then I have my own protection for it ready to put in place, though it will require regular attention to keep it on par with the real Kingdom Hearts.  
I have been collecting information on the activities of the other members. Axel has been tailing an individual named Pete, who is apparently behind the vast Heartless army that has been forming. He is reports as having worked with Maleficent, a being of darkness that was previously defeated by Roxas. It's been suggested that should certain people recall memories of her, she will be called back from the darkness. Whether this is beneficial or not remains to be seen.  
Pete has been spotted in various other worlds where the Organization has been maintaining a presence. Luxord in particular has reported seeing him often during his visits to Port Royale. I intend to suggest that Axel attempt to bring Pete to our cause, unless Maleficent returns – she could be an entirely different situation, and given our objectives it is possible she would oppose use for the chance to obtain Kingdom Hearts for herself.  
I also plan to test the defences of the Disney world, specifically the Disney Castle and it's resident King Mickey. If I temporarily discard my Organization coat and resume the appearance I had prior to joining them, I'm confident I can make my way in without being identified. With the right cover story, I should be able to persuade him to take action. As he knows Riku, I believe pointing him in the right directions will spur him to guide Roxas in the time immediately after his awakening.  
I must take care in doing so however, as without the coat, even the slight darkness of a corridor will have unfettered ability to physically harm me. This must be avoided, though thinking about it suggests that perhaps I can make use of it to persuade the King of my story, depending on what that story turns out to be.  
Finally, I have been utilizing the darkness more, and observed an intriguing side-effect. While my eyes were previously identical to Roxas' blue ones, my use of the darkness has begun to change them, turning them toward a light red. I believe continued use will eventually turn my eyes the same amber colour seen in the eyes of Xemnas, Riku as he appeared in my dreams while changed, and interestingly in the visible eye of DiZ. I have also noticed this unusual colouring in the eyes of Xigbar and Saïx, indicating that they too must have made use of the same darkness. I intend to have Roxas eliminate them if possible, as their command over it could complicate matters.  
As yet, no one appears to have noticed this alteration. If pressed about it, I will tell the others the truth, to a point – that I simply experimented with the darkness to find the full extent of it's capabilities. Though I have yet to find any yet, there are some tasks that are beyond even it. Only Kingdom Hearts can give me a Heart.  
XIII.


	21. Chapter 21

_Day 42  
__Disney Castle_

Sora deliberately stumbled out of the dark corridor, collapsing onto the lawns. He wore the original outfit he'd been created with as he knelt on the lawn, panting. It wasn't an act either. The darkness had done more than he'd expected to him.  
He became aware of a weapon pointed at him, and looked up to see King Mickey pointing a keyblade at him. It looked identical to his own keyblade's normal form, but with inverted colours – a gold blade and a silver handle.  
"You can put that away," he managed weakly.  
"You used the darkness," the King told him warningly.  
"I had no choice." Sora coughed, then continued, "My world was being consumed. It was either use the darkness to escape and end up who knew where, or have the Heartless consume my Heart."  
"Gee, that's too bad... I thought all the worlds had their keyholes sealed though."  
"I guess I got unlucky. Where am I?"  
"This is the Disney Castle. I'm King Mickey." The keyblade was held less threateningly, and a hand was extended. Sora took it, getting to his feet.  
"_The_ King Mickey? The one who closed the Door to Darkness?"  
"You know about that?"  
"News comes... came by my world from all kinds of places. We heard a lot. I've got to warn you, your Majesty."  
"Warn me about what?"  
"You've got to go to Yen Sid, and tell him the Nobodies and the Heartless are fighting each other." He coughed some more, though it wasn't real, then held up a hand to indicate he was alright and continued, "You closed the Door to Darkness with a kid named Roxas, right?"  
"Sure. You look a lot like him."  
"Coincidence, I guess. I know he went to a place called Castle Oblivion, and lost his memories there. Someone took him to Twilight Town to piece them back together. If what I heard is right, he'll wake up in about two days. He'll need someone to guide him, bring him up to speed."  
"Thanks for the warning... I didn't get your name."  
"Sora," he answered. "Would you excuse me? I really don't feel well, and I could do with a room to rest in."  
"Of course. I'll get you one right before I leave."  
"Thanks, your Majesty."  
Sora followed the little mouse. It had been almost too easy. Mickey hadn't even asked him what his world had been.  
Once he had some privacy 'to recover', he'd leave the same way he came.  
Not long now. He'd be able to finish the alterations to Xion very soon.

_Outside the simulation_

"Where do you want this set up, Roxas?"  
"Put it beside Sora's pod," he answered absently, committing the last of the changes to the simulation. Risky while it was running, it could cause more errors, but theoretically not. He was only altering events yet to happen – and if the logs were anything to go by, a lot of them were already well on the way to _not_ happening.  
"Go careful when you hook it up," he warned the two technicians installing the second pod. "Very careful, unless you want to turn Sora into a cabbage."  
"You mean that wouldn't be a good thing?" one asked.  
"Be nice," he murmured, eyes flicking between the event logs and the commit logs.  
He paused the event log on seeing a line that he shouldn't be seeing at all.  
'Xion data not found'  
Odd in itself. Had Sora taken her on already? Given the suggestions of his behaviour, he wouldn't put it past him.  
The memory that was meant to hold the simulated Xion was checked, then found to be intact. Sora had just overwritten it with a copy of himself. Nothing to worry-  
Himself? That should only be possible if Xion beat him – that was one of the possible endings. But the simulation was still running... what was going on here?  
Tracing the changes to the data back, he saw that Sora had made quite a few to the replica, memories, appearance, personality – almost everything seemed to have been altered somehow. Then back a ways, it became the more recognisable data of Xion, though with only a few of his simulated counterpart's stolen memories. Sora hadn't spent much time around her, evidently.  
Why? Why was Sora doing this?  
The data showed Xion's data moving around. With some hesitation, he slowed the simulation to real-time, opening a display on Xion.  
He saw Sora instead. A little check confirmed it; this was Xion alright. Looking for all the world like Sora.  
Riku met the Xion-Sora at the gates of Twilight Town's old mansion.  
"It's all ready to go," the technicians told him. "Might have to check it to be sure."  
"Will do," he replied, watching carefully. "Thanks."  
Made tinny through the voice synth, Riku asked Xion if he was ready.  
"Yes," Sora's unmistakable voice answered. "It's time I went back where I belong. Roxas is the one who's meant to be. Not me."  
Of course! It made sense now – a perfect copy of Sora might be able to awaken him just as if he'd done it himself. Anyone who knew anything about him wouldn't suspect him of anything after then, because they'd think he'd rejoined his Somebody.  
Roxas worked quickly, making changes to the simulated Roxas and his keyblades to give them a little more power than their real counterparts. When Xion did what Sora was meant to do, it would give him the ability to dual-wield keyblades instead of Sora, so he ensured he had Oathkeeper and Oblivion available – his favourite pair to dual-wield, and old friends to him.  
More changes were made, so that if by some chance someone wanted to take on the risk and role of Roxas, they'd not only keep their memories, but be provided with the memories of the simulated Roxas – including the 'lost' ones at Castle Oblivion.  
The last changes, though he hesitated to make them, subtly advanced each of the worlds to the same point their real counterparts had been at when Sora had woken. Perhaps some would notice the sudden changes if they paid attention, but it would put him on slightly more familiar footing.  
As the last of them prepared to take effect, the second pod was checked, set up and made ready to go. He'd only have one chance at this. If Sora managed to beat him, he'd be ejected from the simulation with no way to get back in, except possibly to create a new Roxas character and try again.  
He'd have to be careful too. He'd have memories that in the simulated worlds, he should have forgotten, hadn't happened yet, or weren't going to happen at all. He'd have to watch what he let on.  
And of course, he'd have to act the part properly. Sora was getting to lead his life, even if it was changed beyond recognition. Why shouldn't he get to lead Sora's life at the same time?  
Roxas set himself into the second pod, bringing one of the monitors nearby. This was it. No backing out once he set it going.  
A few last commands ensured that when he woke up inside the simulation, it would be at the same time as he'd be waking up from Naminé's sleep.  
He watched on the monitor as Xion-Sora was lead into the room containing the pod with him in.  
"Surely I don't really look like that," he murmured on seeing himself. It was strange, seeing himself but wearing Sora's original outfit. Slightly too small though – he'd need to stop by Yen Sid and get the new ones.  
"Alright Sora," he nodded, confirming his will to the computer then leaning back. "Now let's see if you're really better than me."  
The real-time display cancelled itself as the simulation claimed him too, advancing the speed to the lowest speed the two minds could handle. Having one go faster than the other would only be trouble.  
In the first pod, Sora's sleeping form seemed to slip into his often-seen cocky grin.

_Day 44_

Sora hovered behind one of the trees, using the darkness to float soundlessly in the air. He could have hidden in the tree, or any number of other locations, but people seldom looked up for people that could fly, or at least float.  
Xion was met by Riku at the gates, then lead inside. All according to plan. He turned one palm upward in front of him, a flame of darkness spreading along it, then paling to show the two on the inside of the mansion.  
"You've accepted it then?" Riku was asking Xion.  
"Please don't make this any harder for me Riku," Xion answered in Sora's voice. "I wish I could keep my own existance too, but I know I can't. It's bad enough Saïx held me suspect this morning when I asked for the day off."  
At least that much had been true. Sora had presented the argument that he'd never asked before, and had followed his orders all the time – or at least pretended to – so shouldn't he deserve a little? Just one day, Saïx. He'd reluctantly agreed.  
It had been a small matter to find a duplicate of his own coat for Xion, then bring the replica to the woods below and reactivate it.  
DiZ nodded respectfully to Xion as they entered the computer room.  
"I expected you to put up more resistance than this," he told Xion. "But to come willingly? I imagine that took some mental wrestling to decide."  
"It wasn't easy," Xion answered. "Could we get this over with? Before I even have the chance to consider changing my mind."  
Of course Xion would want to get it over with sooner. The longer it remained separate, the more risk there was it would be discovered. He'd programmed that into it carefully.  
Sora watched for a little longer, then closed his hand, the flame he'd been watching by disappearing. There was no need for it now. Roxas would awaken soon.  
There was a subtle suggestion something had changed somewhere. He glanced around, but everything appeared to be the same as it had been a few moments ago. He was probably being overcautious. It wasn't like there was anything that could stop him now. Even Roxas would be no match for him.  
"Don't get overconfident," he warned himself. "Only leads to your own downfall. I should probably stop talking to myself too," he added.  
It seemed like much later when the doors of the mansion were flung open, and cocky and confident as he'd appeared in the dreams, Roxas stood framed in the doorway, Donald on one side and Goofy on the other.  
Sora gave his favourite vicious smirk. It had worked perfectly. He took slightly better cover all the same, watching Roxas from above as they headed into Twilight Town, exploring it, meeting the residents. The one that Sora had met when he'd taken on the Darkside mistook Roxas for him, but quickly got corrected by Roxas.  
Through it all, Sora hovered over the buildings, keeping as far out of sight as possible while still being able to keep an eye on him, until the trio ended up outside the main station.  
It was time to give him a little taste of what to expect on this adventure of his.  
Sora landed on the top of the clock tower, snapping his fingers. One Samurai appeared nearby.  
"Get Dusks to appear around those three," he told it. "Groups of eight. You can communicate with them from here, right?"  
_Of course.  
_"Then keep them coming until I say to stop."  
_At once.  
_Dusks snapped down from the air with a crackle, forming a circle around Roxas.  
"What _are_ these creatures?" Roxas asked his friends.  
"Beats me," Goofy replied. "But they sure don't look friendly."  
One Dusk made a swipe for Roxas, making him jump back, then call on two keyblades. Well, Sora had known he was giving up that much. Two keyblades didn't mean he was going to do any better against an army of Dusks though. Let alone against Sora himself.


	22. Chapter 22

_Twilight Town_

Sora stood on top of the clock tower, arms crossed and hood raised, watching the Dusks below. Donald and Goofy had both long since given in to fatigue, but Roxas kept going. It seemed almost more like a dance than a battle, the way he swung the two keyblades skilfully around, never missing his footing once, missing a few times, but almost never leaving him open.  
Finally, he stepped back, and sank to the ground at last, breathing heavily and using one of his keyblades for support. Sora held his fist up, and the Dusks surrounded him, but did not attack. Any moment...  
...now. King Mickey, in a slightly altered black coat, seemed to fly out of the station and take on the remaining Dusks.  
"No more," Sora told the Samurai nearby. Go on back."  
He extended his hand again, turning it up to create the dark flame on top of it. This time it turned slightly blue, and he could hear what he saw below.  
"Your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed.  
"Hush!" Mickey hissed back, looking around warily. Like most though, he didn't bother to look up toward Sora's hiding place. Which he wasn't even hiding in. He turned to face them, then raised his keyblade slightly. A green light enveloped the three, healing them. "There's a train on the first track," he told them. "Here's your tickets for it. Make sure you don't miss it."  
Then he was gone, leaping over the wall nearby then down into the town from rooftop to rooftop.  
"We've got to go after him!" Donald told the others.  
"He told us to catch that train," Roxas reminded him. "We know he's safe, we'd better get going."  
Once they had entered the station, Sora took off again, dropping down to a wall just above the tracks. He could feel his Somebody this close to him, and so he could tell the train that came out had him on it. Sora silently dropped onto it's roof, letting it take him too. There was no way he was letting Roxas out of his sight today. Not while he still had the rest of the day to himself.  
There was a flash of light, then the train was on glowing green tracks that seemed to be going through the space between worlds. Sora had seen pictures of it, but as he used the corridors to get around he'd never seen it himself. It was a fascinating display. Perhaps if he'd had a Heart, he'd be able to say more.  
Later though. He'd get his own Heart, and he'd come back sometime and see it in person. Maybe even find out what these Gummi Ships were so he could see it better.  
The train pulled in beside what appeared to be a grassy rock in space with a tower built on it. Sora quickly took off again, moving behind some trees again. Roxas and his friends got off the train, looking around curiously as the train vanished behind them.  
Sora paid little attention except to watch he wasn't seen. Unless his was mistaken, the figure he could see by the door of the tower was Pete. And where Pete was, Axel would be – it was standing orders of his to keep watch on him.  
He moved around the rock, keeping to the shade as much as possible as he tried to locate Axel, and not lose Roxas. He hardly had to worry.  
Roxas and his friends confronted Pete, who fled the scene. So much for finding Axel.  
Sora tried to follow Roxas into the tower, but the door seemed to know he wasn't welcome, giving him a short sharp shock just for coming into contact with it. A second shock from an unseeable barrier stopped him from trying to reach too far up the tower instead. Whoever owned this place really made the darkness unwelcome.  
Well, two could play at that game. Sora concentrated, pulling on the darkness again. This time he went searching with it, finding a certain Heartless. Emblem Heartless, normally something he'd destroy, but useful here.  
First, a Yellow Opera. They used Thunder magic, and so they should absorb the shocks. They lacked any means to open the door however. A Soldier was called on next, then he made a brief experiment, forcing the two to fuse. The Solider took on the colouration of the Yellow Opera, and it's helmet gained the orange hat.  
It looked itself over in seeming surprise, then charged him. Sora held up one hand.  
It stopped again. Sora pointed at the door to the tower.  
It turned, clattered toward it, then opened it with ease.  
Sora powered up his new Thunder Soldier – it was his Heartless, he could name it whatever he wanted – summoned a number of other Heartless, Emblem and Pureblood, then sent them into the tower after Roxas.  
The tower still denied him entry, however. At the very least, he'd be able to use his Heartless to find out what was going on in there.  
Out of nowhere, a strange ship floated up. Mostly red, but with patches of yellow. It was strangely angular. Experimentally, Sora flicked at a bit of the wing. It wobbled back slightly with a dull _boing_.  
This must be the Gummi Ship. A quick look over it revealed no obvious way in, so with some care, he opened a corridor to the inside. Two floors to the inside, the cockpit, and a small area that seemed to serve as a very basic kitchen and sleeping area. It wasn't exactly large either.  
He felt the ship rise, so solidified a bit of darkness, stowing it under one of the bunks, then exited again. He'd be able to use that to keep track of it.  
A short wait outside, and the Gummi Ship departed in another flash. The darkness told him easily Roxas was on a course for Hollow Bastion. Perhaps he could use this... not just use this either...  
Sora returned directly to Where Nothing Gathers, where Xemnas and Xigbar were in a conversation that dropped off as soon as he appeared.  
"Didn't mean to bother you," Sora told them. "Roxas is awake and headed to Hollow Bastion. I thought we might be able to... use the opportunity. Let him know just who and what he's up against."  
"We were just discussing the same," Xigbar told him. "Axel sent a Dusk to us not long ago informing us about Roxas. Never got to decide somewhere to do it though, but it looked like your Somebody just did it for us."  
"No confrontations this time," Xemnas warned him. "I want you left unidentified. You're meant to have rejoined him, remember."  
"Naturally," Sora answered airily. "I _am_ the reason he's awake in the first place, after all. Mind if I go on ahead? I thought I'd get his attention with a little swarm of Dusks and Samurais."  
Xemnas nodded, and he left again, going to the Bailey in Hollow Bastion – the area that overlooked the teeming mass of Heartless. A few commands later, and he left through one window, landing on top of it. The Nobodies would arrive when he called for them.  
In due time, the other members joined him atop the Bailey. Saïx quickly gestured to him to raise his hood.  
There was the sound of footsteps in the Bailey below, then an unfamiliar voice said, "Look at that."  
Roxas' voice answered, "Huh. Just a little group of Heartless, eh Leon?"  
"Little!" Donald snorted. "You call that little?"  
"Sure thing. I mean, after all we've done, can you really say they're any match for us?"  
"Don't get overconfident," Leon warned. "We want to restore Hollow Bastion to what it used to be, or maybe even something better than that. There's a lot to do, but we can handle everything except for that... and that."  
Sora knew that the second 'that' would be the two Dusks he'd sent down into the canyon to see the Heartless.  
"Leave it to us!" Roxas told him.  
"I know. I take it you know what's happening then?"  
"There's this guy called Pete who's gathering an army of Heartless, but he's thicker than two planks. No need to worry about him, it's those white things – the Nobodies – we've gotta worry about, and the people who command them."  
"Who are they?"  
"Organization Thirteen."  
"You called?" Xemnas asked, projecting his voice below.  
"Who's there?" Roxas called out.  
"This calls for a celebration..." Xigbar added, nodding to Sora. He snapped his fingers, knowing a group of Dusks and Samurais would be appearing inside the Bailey, and the gates to it were being sealed.  
Sounds of fighting erupted, followed by the metallic ring of keyblade on Samurai blades. Sora knew he wasn't going to be getting these Samurais back.  
After a time, they petered out, and Leon asked, "Two keyblades? When did that happen?"  
"When I woke up." This time, Xemnas snapped his fingers. Two crackles came from below as two more Nobodies formed. "After them!" Roxas called.  
Roxas emerged into the same area Sora had met Marluxia and Larxene so long ago now, following two Dusks. He made a dash forward, impaling one on each of his keyblades.  
"The Keyblade," Saïx mused, loud enough for Roxas to hear. "A truly marvellous weapon. Were it only in more... capable hands."  
The seven of them laughed unkindly at the implied insult to Roxas.  
"Show yourselves!" Roxas called out. Xemnas pointed to a bit of wall, well out of the reach of Roxas, but also directly ahead of him. Each of them formed a dark corridor to appear there in formation behind him. Xigbar and Xaldin right behind, followed by Saïx, Axel and Demyx, then finally himself and Luxord.  
"Organization Thirteen!" Goofy exclaimed, readying his shield.  
"Right. Why don't you come down here and face me?"  
"Oh, so the keyblade kid wants a fight, does he?" Xaldin asked in a voice heavy with sarcasm.  
In a voice barely audible, Xemnas said, "Remain behind in a moment, Sora. Don't reveal yourself. Just get in their way for a bit."  
Then he extended his hands, and the others vanished. Sora did the same, but headed to the stairs in their path instead.  
As they disappeared, Donald called out for them to stop. He turned to the steps to face Sora.  
"What's the big idea?" he demanded.  
"Oh, am I in your way?" Sora asked innocently.  
"You!" Roxas snapped. "You're Sora."  
"Am I now?" Roxas made an attempt to reach for Sora's hood, but he caught Roxas' hand with his left, then pushed him back with the right hand. "Now really, what happened to your manners? It's hardly polite, forcing someone who doesn't want to be identified to show themselves you know."  
"I already know who you are, Sora. You can't hide from me."  
"Oh, I'm sure, I'm sure. But just talking about it won't change a thing."  
"Oh yeah?" Roxas brought out his keyblades, and charged him. Sora flicked a hand in his direction, and made Roxas crash into a wall of darkness.  
"See, something like that would work, if I were just anyone. But I'm not just anyone. I'm with the Organization. You'll have to do better than that."  
"Tough talk, for someone too afraid to show his face!"  
"Heh. All in good time, Roxas," Sora answered. "Be a good boy now, won't you? I'd hate to have to do anything to you." He stepped back, opening a corridor back up on top of the Bailey, just out of their sight. Another flame on his hand showed Roxas battering away at the unseen wall that had barred his path in a rage until Goofy lightly restrained him, bringing him to his senses.  
"That's not gonna do ya no good," he told Roxas.  
So Roxas was prone to unexpected and unpredictable fits of rage, it seemed. That could be useful... and exploitable too.  
Sora closed his hand, then gestured beside him for the corridor that would get him home again. He was done with his day off now.


	23. Chapter 23

_Day 46  
__The World that Never Was_

Sora leaned on the ledge of his window, staring out into Dark City. He was up early again, and he knew it. _How_ he knew it, he still couldn't tell, but he definitely knew it.  
He glanced up just slightly, looking into the faint reflection in the glass and seeing the now-familiar amber eyes look back at him. It was the price he paid for using the darkness. It was one more thing that set him above and apart from Roxas.  
Roxas had identified him with his hood up, concealing his face, and that meant he'd held on to some of the memories he had in Castle Oblivion. But all he knew indicated that he shouldn't remember anything after he'd entered the castle. That had been told to him by Axel though, and he and Axel still weren't exactly on speaking terms ever since Sora had overheard his conversation with Saïx.  
Saïx, now there was a mystery. He almost never seemed to leave the World that Never Was, never seemed to do anything except hand out missions, and never seemed to be around in the castle during the day. What he did was a mystery, and pressing him for answers had only gotten him the blunt answer of 'None of your business'.  
Saïx was the only one to pass comment on the change to Sora's eyes, and even then it had only been a passing note letting him know he could command Heartless now. Something he already knew anyway. No one else had noticed, or if they had, they saw no reason to mention it.  
Someone knocked his door. It was still a rarity that anyone called on him at any time, let alone this early in the day.  
"Come on in," he called, not bothering to get up. In the reflection, he saw Xemnas let himself into the room. He quickly stood up, turning around, but Xemnas raised a hand with a faint smile.  
"Don't worry. You're not in trouble. You mentioned protection for Kingdom Hearts some time ago. Did you have something in mind?"  
"I did, actually. I took the liberty of working on it anyway, just in case."  
"And how does it work?"  
"Simple. It covers the real one with an illusion so no one can see it, and projects an image to a different area, giving us a false Kingdom Hearts. All I have to do is update it periodically so it reflects the state of the true one."  
"Does it work?"  
"On the small scale tests, perfectly. I've yet to test it on anything I couldn't fit in my room though, and size has been a little bit of an issue."  
"How long will it take you to set it up?"  
"Once Kingdom Hearts shows itself, it shouldn't take more than an hour, maybe more if I have to fix any problems that crop up. If we're still keeping this to ourselves, then it'll need somewhere out of sight, about half the size of this room at least."  
"I'll create an area for you to use. You'll have no trouble reaching it with your newly acquired command of the darkness."  
"Hardly new. I've been using it for some time now."  
"So I notice. It takes time for the eyes to recolour. Have your device ready to be installed."  
"So, it's appearing today is it?"  
Xemnas nodded, "But keep it to yourself. Your advice proved accurate. Roxas is adding to it almost more than you have been these past few days."  
"I may have to stop my visits soon. Some of the residents are starting to get close to the place I found. If they get too close, I'll have to shut up shop and gather them the way I used to."  
"Whatever it takes, Sora. Spread the word to the others that I'm summoning everyone to Altar of Naught, the highest part of the castle."

_Altar of Naught_

Demyx was the last to join them, hurrying up looking apologetic. Saïx gave him a harsh glare, making him hide behind Sora. Sora mimicked Saïx, and Demyx edged away from him, instead putting Axel between him and both Saïx and Sora. Axel sighed disparagingly.  
"The time has arrived," Xemnas announced at last, raising his arms. "Look to the skies!"  
Before them, in the permanent night-sky here, the vast form of Kingdom Hearts flashed into sight before them. Looking like a heart-shaped moon bordered in a blue aura, it shone down on them. It was still incomplete though, not yet at it's full size.  
"My friends!" Xemnas went on. "Remember why we have organized, all the things we hope to achieve." Oh, yes. All the things he hoped to achieve, and would. Never mind the rest of them. They were just there to bring him closer to it. "The strength of the human heart is vast," he continued, punctuated with a derisive snort from Xaldin. "Soon though, we will have gained power over it, and never again will it have power over us!"  
"Continue your good work, tiger," Xigbar told him. "It'll be complete in no time if you keep on going the way you have."  
"Hey, give credit to Roxas too," Sora reminded him. "After all, every Heartless he unwittingly destroys also lends itself to Kingdom Hearts."  
"Don't forget those that Xion gave it," Axel added. "Whatever happened to her, by the way?"  
"I found her in Twilight Town," Sora answered, still staring into the light of Kingdom Hearts as if fascinated by it. "I managed to get her back here, but she disappeared not long after. I guess whatever sent her out cold hurt her more than it looked like."  
"How convenient," Saïx said sardonically. "She happens to disappear, and Roxas awakens. If I weren't so sure of your loyalty, I'd say you had something to do with it."  
"Get real," Sora snorted. "At least Xion worked for us. I doubt Roxas would even consider that."  
"Does kinda seem suspect though," Demyx told him. "I mean, you being the only one to see her disappear-"  
"I was there too," Xemnas interrupted. "Or would you accuse me of withholding the truth from you?" There was an uneasy silence. "Go to work. Sora, remain here. As of today, you're working directly for me. I will give you your tasks personally, and all of you will listen when he gives a command, because he speaks with my voice."  
Sora silently exulted in his thoughts. He hadn't even had to do anything! Xemnas had done it all by himself. This was even better than expected – he'd essentially just replaced Saïx as the second in command.  
"You heard him," Sora told them. "Get moving. Oh, and Demyx? Pull your finger out and actually do your work for a change."  
"Don't get too full of yourself," Saïx murmured to him in passing. "Just remember who gives the orders around here."  
"That's me now," Sora replied, just loud enough for him to hear. "So watch what you get up to."  
Once only he and Xemnas remained, he stepped up beside him.  
"Look down over the edge," Xemnas told him. Sora did so, spotting a fair sized ledge. "There's a second one underneath it," he continued. "So your device will be well hidden. Only those who use the darkness the way we do can reach it. Since no one other than us knows it's there..."  
"No one but us will have any reason to look for it. Neat. I'll still have to wait until everyone else leaves before I start work, and if Saïx is still here, he'll notice anything I do."  
"I will keep him occupied. No doubt your new status is bothering him somewhat. I'm curious though – what will you do to Demyx if he doesn't do his work? Saïx has apparently tried many things."  
"Oh, that's simple. I'll just put him in the path of Roxas. If he can't do the job, he doesn't deserve to be among us. At least that way, Roxas will think he's doing some good by whittling down our numbers."  
"A little harsh, wouldn't you say?"  
"I'm taking the view that the punishment for the first offence should prevent the chance of a second offence," he answered.  
"A brutal, but perhaps effective system once word gets around."  
"I thought so too. What do you want me to work on once I've got the device up and running?"  
"Whatever you decide is necessary. I give you free reign from here onwards, Sora. Your actions until now have proved I can trust you with that, but ensure you can account for your actions."  
"Have I ever not been able to?"  
"Not yet," Xemnas answered, turning and leaving. Once he was sure there was no one around to hear, Sora let out a short laugh, trying to hold back from any more. A second escaped him, then he gave up and let out a definitely more evil sounding one, then got himself under control. He had an illusory Kingdom Hearts to hang in their skies.

_The Secret Diary_

Plans have been altered, but not because they have gone awry. If anything, they have far exceeded any expectations that could have been held.  
First and foremost, Xemnas has elevated me to the position of second in command, allowing me to give orders to all other members of the Organization, something not only unexpected, but highly exploitable. With this elevation also came the allowance to do as I please, answering only to Xemnas. The other members have been told I am receiving my tasks directly from him, but the truth of the matter is that I set my own tasks now. I no longer need to seek authorization for anything. This gives me unparalleled power to work toward my own goals.  
Kingdom Hearts was unveiled today. I can feel the power pulsing within it, incomplete as it may be. With the aid of Xemnas, I have secreted a small device that will monitor the appearance of Kingdom Hearts, project an illusion that conceals it from the eyes of all, and also projects a perfectly matching image of it in an area more distant to the real thing. Any who attempt to make use of Kingdom Hearts will be fooled by this illusion, and be left too far away from the real one to have any effect.  
Furthermore, I have made use of the time available to move Kingdom Hearts to another spot above the castle that remains distant from the false image. No one other than myself is aware of this. With the assistance of a remote to alter the behaviour of the device protecting Kingdom Hearts, I have set a pre-programmed series of commands into it's memory ready to be activated, so that when Xemnas tries to command me to show him the true Kingdom Hearts, the false image will simply be re-directed to show it in the place where it was unveiled today, where he expects it to be. This is ample protection that ensures that only one who manages to discover the true location of Kingdom Hearts can break. It is mine and mine alone.  
My use of the darkness has progressed yet further, and brought me capabilities beyond measure. The Heartless are mine to command and even alter or enhance now. To test this out, I have taken a number of what I call the 'Musical Heartless' such as the Yellow Opera or the Scarlet Tango and forcibly merged them with Soldier Heartless, in the process imbuing the Solder with the magical properties, resistances and traits of the Musical Heartless involved. This process alters the Soldier's colours to that of the Musical Heartless used, but beyond that there are no other changes. However, a simple influx of darkness into them resolves this, empowering them to levels beyond that of the Soldier's more powerful cousin, the Commander.  
These Musical Soldiers as I have come to call them are concealed within Dark City for now, under the protection of the Samurais. I intend to pull them out when protecting my interests demand, whether it be to slow down Roxas, or to inconvenience another member.  
Roxas has been completed and awakened successfully by using Xion as a perfect Replica of me. Though Roxas appears to remember me, and somehow know that I have not truly rejoined him, others are unaware of my continued existance. Currently, he has been to the worlds of the Beast's Castle and the Land of Dragons, and is presently en route to Olympus Coliseum.  
Demyx has already been dispatched to this world to cause trouble, though given his work record, I doubt he will do more than be a minor inconvenience to Roxas. If this continues, I have told Xemnas I will simply put Demyx in a position whereby Roxas destroys him.  
XIII.


	24. Chapter 24

_Day 47  
__Olympus Coliseum – Underworld_

Sora strolled down the Cave of the Dead with it's flowing river and glowing lights, appearing to be calm, but behind the calm look, he was irritated.  
Someone had managed to find their way to the computer in Hollow Bastion, cutting him off from his supply of Heartless. While he admitted he could simply summon Emblem Heartless to fight whenever he wanted, only having to force the darkness to search for them and bring them to him, this was more work than it needed to be, and he didn't like doing it. Summoning Heartless was for when he wanted to use them, not release Hearts from them.  
Perhaps the two could be combined, placing them in the way of Roxas. But if Roxas noticed any large increase in Heartless, he'd suspect, if not know, there was an Organization member around.  
He took a side path, cutting ahead of Roxas. He knew his Somebody was also on his way down, but Sora needed to get there before him. Well, not needed. But Demyx was here, in an attempt to negotiate with Hades. From what was known of Hades, this was not going to go well.  
The inner chamber of the Cave of the Dead, just before it opened into the cliffs that were known as the Valley of the Dead – this was a one-track mind, obviously – was relatively quiet. He could hear Roxas fighting some Heartless back up in the cave a ways, and summoned a few more to go and play with him while he waited. There were footsteps echoing up from the valley.  
Roxas made it to him first. This time, he caught Sora with his hood down.  
"You again!"  
"I'm not here to deal with you," Sora told him, still staring down into the valley.  
"Well we're going to deal with you-"  
"Oh, stop that," he said in disgust. "Don't you ever learn? I thought humiliating you once at Hollow Bastion would have knocked that out of you. Shut up a moment."  
"What?"  
"I said shut up!"  
The rapid footsteps grew closer. Sora flicked a hand surreptitiously, creating an unseen barrier both in front and behind Roxas and his friends. It would stop them from going anywhere, or doing anything to Demyx. And it would have the same effect on Demyx.  
Demyx came into view, apparently not seeing him at first, shrilly crying out, "Run! Run away!"  
Sora reached out one arm, grabbing him by the neck of his coat and lifted him up and in front of him.  
"Well?" he asked, in a dreadfully quiet voice.  
"H-he said no. Well actually he said he's the lord of the dead, this is his domain-"  
"Shut up."  
"-and that it was going to be down to him-"  
"I said shut up, Demyx.  
"-to decide- uh... right. Shutting up."  
"You are going to go back down there. You are going to get Hades attention, and you are going to make an agreement with him."  
"But he said-"  
"I don't care what he said. You're going to do this. You'll note I didn't ask you to do it. This is how orders work, Demyx. I tell you to do it, and you do it."  
He squirmed a little, then asked, "Or?"  
"Or I hand you over to Roxas here."  
Demyx seemed to notice Roxas for the first time.  
"Um. Could you let me go, Sora? I think I can convince Hades."  
Sora dropped him. Demyx stepped away from him, then disappeared into a dark corridor.  
"Must I do everything myself?" Sora burst out in exasperation, dissolving the barriers and storming down toward Hades' chamber. Roxas ran after him.  
"What did you mean by an agreement?" he called, trying to keep up.  
"Keep your big nose out of it," Sora snapped, causing him to crash into another quickly raised barrier as he continued on down.  
"You again?" Hades flared when he entered.  
"No not him again," Sora retorted. "The name's Sora. You have something the Organization wants, and the Organization is going to give you something in return. The idiot who was trying to sell you this before has run away, so it falls to me."  
Hades turned red. "This is _my realm!_ You don't decide what happens here!"  
"I couldn't care less if this was your cheese factory! You're going to hear me out, or I'm going to let them beat some sense into you!" He jerked his thumb behind him toward Roxas, who'd just come in.  
"Hey, what? You can't do that!"  
"Shut up Roxas, or I'll be beating sense into you!"  
"Bring it on!"  
"Fine," Hades said shortly. "What do you want?"  
"Get rid of them." Once more, he gestured to Roxas. "In exchange, I'll supply you with the Heartless I know you want for your Coliseum games."  
"In case you hadn't noticed," Hades seethed. "The Underdrome was sealed off."  
"Is that all? Then here's a second deal. I'll unlock it, but you only get half the Heartless you'd normally get. Figure out how to unlock it by yourself, and you'll get the whole lot. Deal?"  
"Gimme both deals together, make it easier on me, 'kay?"  
"Uh-huh. Just get rid of the so-called heroes there."  
"Done."  
"You can't do that!" Roxas exclaimed, looking stunned. "You're not... I mean you can't..."  
Sora sighed. "Do you want to take care of them, or shall I?"  
Hades smiled nastily. "Leave them in _my _care, Sora... just unlock my Underdrome."  
Sora nodded, taking a corridor into a different, deeper part of the Underworld's caverns where a lock was on a bit of the wall. He drew out his keyblade, pointed it at it and unlocked the lock.  
The Underdrome would surface at the entrance of the Underworld soon.  
He returned to Hades' chamber, to find it deserted. Echoing sounds came from the valley. This time, he moved to the top of the valley, beside the entrance to the Cave of the Dead.  
Roxas, Donald and Goofy seemed to be fighting and retreating at the same time, along with the air of a tall man in red, who seemed to have injured his left arm and put it in a sling, though this didn't compromise his fighting capabilities. Various Heartless appeared to bar their path, and every time they came to one of the larger platforms, Hades appeared in a puff of smoke to harass them. None of them seemed capable of harming him, though he was a god. So maybe it was to be expected.  
Sora further inconvenienced them by putting yet more Heartless in the way, watching as Roxas seemed to lose patience and hack at anything in his way in a kind of berserk frenzy. His friends and new ally quickly learned not only to keep out of his way, but how to steer him toward the Heartless, and away from Hades.  
He left them to it, heading back up toward the entrance of the Underworld. Roxas caught up with him along the way, swinging one of his keyblades at him. Sora had prepared for this, ducking underneath the strike, slamming a fist into Roxas' guts then upward to catch his chin. Finally, he called out his own keyblade and hide Roxas round the head with the flat of it.  
"Will you ever learn?" Sora muttered to himself, continuing on. Goofy caught up next, trying to shake Roxas awake. Sora watched from another of his flames of darkness as Donald healed Roxas, and he finally sat up, rubbing at his head.  
After a few moments, he scrambled to his feet and pointed after Sora. "After him!"  
Goofy was more hesitant, and concerned asked, "Uh... Roxas? Are you sure you should be going after him after that?"  
At least one of them had some sense to them.  
"He's right, Roxas," their new ally told him, coming up alongside. "I know bad news when I see it – and that guy was definitely it."  
"You don't know what he's done, Auron," Roxas shook his head.  
"Doesn't matter. If he can do that to you just like that, you've got no business running off after him."  
"You still bothering with those pipsqueaks?" Hades' voice asked him, falling into step beside him as he exited the Cavern of the Dead.  
"I like to keep an eye on what trouble they're causing," Sora answered, closing his hand again. "The Underdrome should have surfaced."  
"Sure did. Right over there. Now, about those Heartless..."  
"When you deal with Roxas. That was our agreement."  
"Hey, _hey_, hey! You just said to get rid of them, and I did. I got rid of them right outta my chamber."  
"The Lord of the Dead doesn't want a trio of unique souls for his collection? Saïx underestimated your worth to the Organization. Get rid, that is, eliminate, erase, wipe from existance, destroy-"  
"I know what the word means!"  
"Then you'll see you haven't fulfilled your part of the agreement. I raised the Underdrome, in exchange for only providing half the amount of Heartless. Until you get rid of Roxas, half of zero... is zero. Which is what you seem to be right now. This is your home turf, Hades. They're meant to be the zeroes, not you."  
"How dare you?" Hades flared, turning red again. "You accuse me-"  
"Oh, stop that. Either accept that you have a debt to pay, or find your own damn Heartless. I haven't got all day to waste on lazy gods like you."  
"Lazy!"  
Sora threw up his hands. "Honestly, I can't even count on a _god_ to do anything right. Absolutely ridiculous. I might as well just send my new, powered up Heartless directly to him. It'd have more effect."  
"Woah, woah, wait, wait. Powered up? Ahahah... just how powered up are we talking here?"  
Sora smirked to himself, then put on a show of being irritated again as he turned back.  
"Oh, I wouldn't want to bore you with the details of Heartless you'll never be seeing."  
"How about a little deposit... a show of good faith. You give me a few... and I'll turn them on Roxas."  
"When I could cut you out and send them after him myself? What's in it for me?"  
"Aha, well you see, you're fully freed up to go and... and... organize your... organization."  
"Nice try Hades, but I've already got all my bases covered. I can stick around here as long as I need."  
Hades slumped slightly.  
"Right. See, there's this guy up top, Hercules, and I'm trying to focus on bumping him off so I can have his soul for myself. So, I'm kind of tied up already. Having the Underdrome is just a means to getting that soul."  
"What does that have to do with this?"  
"How about this. You give me the Heartless for the Underdrome. I'll lure your bully boys into the Underdrome, pit them against Hercules, and one of us will get what we want out of it."  
"You'll lose the Heartless if you get Hercules."  
"Worth it."  
"No trying to wriggle out of this one, Hades. I'm holding you to this one, word for little word."  
"So we have a deal?"  
"Done. You'll find your Heartless waiting behind the scenes."  
"Now about these new Heartless of yours... why don't you tell me about them while my ship takes us to the Underdrome?"  
Sora started to explain, noticing that as they left the shore, Roxas turned up, looking chagrined as he saw them.


	25. Chapter 25

_Underworld Entrance_

Sora waited on the shores of the lake. Roxas would show up sooner or later, especially after he'd threatened the little red satyr so much he'd fled, shouting threats of setting Hercules on him. He'd only come down here to try to persuade Hades to let up his constant stream of attackers on Hercules, but Sora wasn't interested.  
Well – that, and to find out where Hercules' girlfriend Megara had gone. She was the bait that would lure Roxas down here, and possibly even drag Hercules away from the Hydra.  
While he'd waited, Xigbar had turned up to find out what he was up to. Sora found that others who'd used the darkness exuded a distinct scent, not quite identifiable as anything specific, but there all the same. He'd only begun to notice it as he'd used the darkness more himself, and it seemed stronger in the presence of those who'd used it more.  
Up until now, he'd paid no attention to it at all, originally because he didn't know what it was, and later because the smell of his own darkness drowned out all but that of Xemnas. During his brief visit to the Disney Castle though, he'd found his own smell grew far stronger without the coat, suggesting that it concealed it – up to a point.  
This concealment also meant he recognised the smell of someone using the darkness unconcealed, not far from him. He'd been leaning against a stalagmite, arms crossed and eyes closed, but the moment the scent caught his nose, he got up quickly, looking around sharply.  
In the small puddle of murky green water in the centre of the entrance, a small green flame had appeared. It grew to the size of the puddle, growing upwards faster than it did outwards, then it went out, depositing a figure in a long black robe with a a green face, horns, and a sceptre in one hand.  
"So," she began. "You're one of these... Organization miscreants I've been hearing about."  
Sora nodded. "You're talking to the second in command, number Thirteen. Who're you?"  
"I think a better question might be who you are. A number is hardly a substitute for a name."  
"That's Sora," a new voice added, coming up from the Cave of the Dead. Sora recognised him – it was Pete. "He's the one I told ya about."  
Sora glared at him. "Did it occur to you that I might have a reason for not giving my name?" he asked Pete acidly. Pete backed away, cowering.  
"Pete! Get back to Hollow Bastion," the figure told him, then turned back. "So, not only a miscreant, but the Sora I've heard so much about."  
"Only bad things, I hope," Sora answered.  
"That depends on your definition of 'bad'. I prefer the word 'evil' myself."  
"They're interchangeable. Now, who are you?"  
"My name is Maleficent. And I've come with a proposition for you."  
"Oh, really?"  
"You've managed to get into the Disney Castle, where neither Pete or I have achieved the same."  
"What of it?"  
"There's a certain room within the castle that holds the secret that obstructs me, the Cornerstone of Light."  
Sora knew about it. He'd found it was the reason the darkness had harmed him so much more – he'd had to pull on immense amounts of it to push through the barrier of the Cornerstone, far more than should have been needed. If he'd had a Hearts and that had been his first use of Darkness, his Heart would have been instantly consumed.  
"I've heard of it," Sora said. "No Heartless can appear there because of it."  
"Or in the town below. Tell me what it is your Organization is up to... and I'll open the way into that world for you."  
"Tell me how to reach it, then I'll tell you what you want to know."  
"How do I know you won't just take my answer and leave?"  
"I'm not going anywhere," Sora shrugged. "I've got things to do here that I need to attend to. But if the price is too high for you... I'm sure it won't be too much trouble to find the way on my own."  
"I wouldn't count in it," Maleficent chuckled. "Even I didn't suspect there was a way. It was only through Pete's bumbling I came across it."  
Sora knew he couldn't tell her now he knew who she was – their goals were in direct opposition. They both wanted Kingdom Hearts for themselves. Was there something else he could tell her? It didn't seem likely.  
"Can't deal with you," he told her. "The boss doesn't like letting people know what we're up to. Says they might try to stop us."  
"I've heard about you, Sora. Pete overheard you talking in Hollow Bastion about rising up against your leader."  
"I was ordered to infiltrate them. I'm as loyal to Xemnas as I've always been." A thought occurred to him. "Perhaps I have something else that might be of use to you."  
"Oh? What might that be?"  
"Wasn't it you who turned Riku to the darkness? What would it be worth to you, finding him again? I know where to find him. I can set up a meeting with him."  
"Perhaps he can be useful again... if he can be persuaded to join me... where is he?"  
"Nuh-uh. I said I'd set up a meeting, not hand him to you on a platter – and then only for the information in advance."  
"You drive a hard bargain."  
"I know. So do we have a deal?"  
"Where will you set the meeting up?"  
"Who knows? I'll have to get him to agree to it first. Keep your schedule open, Maleficent. It could happen anytime."  
"Very well then... Pete found a door that leads to the world of Timeless River – a place in the past of the Disney world, before the castle was constructed and the Cornerstone was attuned to defend the place. All I need do is have him steal it in the past, and the present one will no longer protect the world."  
"Interesting. Where is this door?"  
"Oh, no. _That_ information, I give you only after Riku joins me."  
"You're hanging that on a third party, and an event I can't guarantee will happen. Riku may choose to reject you. You'll give it to me when I tell you the time and the place of the meeting, or I call the whole thing off."  
"Agreed. You can find me at the top of the tower within Hollow Bastion."  
Maleficent turned at the sound of footsteps behind her, revealing to Sora the now-familiar sight of Roxas, Donald and Goofy coming to make a pain of themselves again, with their ally Auron.  
She half turned back, nodded to him, then vanished the same way she'd come. The dark scent went with her.  
"So," Sora called to them. "You made it at last. I was beginning to think you didn't care about Megara."  
"What've you done to her?" Roxas called back. "Sealed her down by the lock to the Underdrome?"  
"Now why would I want to do that? No, if you want to find her..." he glanced over his shoulder to the Underdrome. "I'm told Hades has plans for her, so you'll want to hurry up. Hercules will want his girlfriend back."  
"She's not my girlfriend!" Hercules told him, coming down after Roxas. He looked considerably worse for wear. "Roxas will help me get her back."  
"Ah, see, that's the thing," Sora smiled. "Here in the Underworld, Hades rules. And in the Underdrome, Hercules has been forbidden to fight with his allies. You'll have to enter the Pain and Panic cup tournament – separately."  
"But-" Hercules began, but Roxas dragged him down to his level, whispering something in his ear. "Are you sure?"  
"Trust me," Roxas answered. "Donald – a little healing hand for our friend before we go into the Underdrome? We can't have him fighting at less than full strength – that wouldn't be fair."  
"Pain! Panic!" Sora called. "Get the boats. You'll be taking these two teams over the Underdrome for the tournament. I'll be leaving you now," he added. "But I'll be cheering you on..." Sora laughed, "To finishing each other off, that is!"  
Roxas watched him head up to the Coliseum, a look of disbelief on his face. It looked like he'd just ruined Roxas' day somehow. It didn't matter how.  
But then, there was one more thing he could attend to that would ruin it even further. The Hydra wasn't a Heartless... but all it would take was an injection of darkness into it's Heart to remedy that. Then he could not only empower it beyond normal limits, but enhance it further by fusing another Heartless with it. He already had the perfect one in mind.  
As he emerged into the courtyard of the Coliseum, he saw it had already begun it's rampage, destroying a considerable part of... well, everything. It's single head eyed him hungrily. He'd feed it's hunger alright – but not in the way it expected.  
Between his hands, he formed a ball of purest darkness, and when he judged it contained enough it was launched into the gaping mouth of the Hydra. It swallowed, then stopped moving entirely.  
For a long moment, nothing appeared to happen. Then it's skin darkened, becoming a deeper, darker purple. The emblem of the Heartless appeared on it's chest, below it's single neck. More would sprout during the fight that would undoubtedly ensue when Roxas heard about this – unless he dealt with the severed neck in time.  
Sora pulled on the darkness, sending it searching for a Land Armour, the strongest and most armoured cousin of the armoured Large Body Heartless, which was subsequently hurled into the front of the Heartless Hydra.  
The body of the Hydra became covered in many great sheets of grey armour, then the neck, and finally the head gained a helmet resemblant of the ones Soldiers wore. Only the brightly glowing yellow eyes and the mouth were left visible, along with the emblem on it's chest. To give Roxas a sporting chance, he made one adjustment, making that emblem the spot to strike to make the armour drop off. For a short time only, of course... after that it would be drawn back to the Hydra. Just a small sporting chance.  
Sora admired his handiwork as it continued where it had left off, causing terror, mayhem and destruction. It aimed for him at one point, but as he had with his Thunder Soldier, a single hand stopped it.  
"I'm your master now," he told it. "So just continue your destructive rampage."


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: **I thought since Roxas has gone into the simulation too now, I'd slip in a chapter from his point of view. A full chapter too this time, not just a short bit on what he's up to. I'll slip more of these in once in a while, but the main focus is still going to be Sora's side of things.  
Anyhow, go ahead, read on and enjoy. I know you're just waiting to see what Roxas is getting up to.

* * *

_Underdrome_

Roxas vented the built up fury on the next round of Heartless. They looked like Soldiers, but with the wrong colours – and several of them were casting magic too.  
This was not turning out the way he'd intended. Sora had made so many changes, gotten involved in places he shouldn't have, that the story as it should have unfolded was sometimes barely recognisable. He'd expected a few changes, but nothing on this scale.  
Then there had been Sora's comment as he left them to go off on whatever he was up to now. It was a far cry from the real Sora's attitude. He'd even laughed at them, as if it was some kind of cruel joke to him.  
The memory of that laughter incensed him again, giving him yet more new reserves of energy to take out on the Heartless. One Soldier shot a fireball at him, which he hit hard with Oathkeeper, sending it flying into a blue Soldier that he'd just seen cast Blizzard, then the Soldier met Oblivion. Two strikes finished it off. If he hadn't enhanced his keyblades, it would have taken much longer.  
Leading Sora's life with the added inconveniences Sora kept throwing in his way was not as fun as he'd expected.  
Sora hadn't actually gotten noticeably involved until here at Olympus Coliseum – the Land of Dragons and the Beast's Castle had been much easier to take on, and he'd been able to sink into his acquired role of the real Sora a bit more, finding it was actually kind of fun being him. Maybe after he got Sora safely out of this simulation, he'd create a new one so he could really lead Sora's life.  
"Roxas!" Auron called to him. "I need some help over here!"  
He'd been surrounded by four Large Body Heartless, boxing him in so he couldn't reach their behinds. Just behind each were four Soldiers that matched the colours of a Green Requiem, healing what little damage was dealt to the larger Heartless and attacking anyone who got too close.  
Roxas threw both keyblades at two of green Soldiers, carving twinned paths through the other Heartless in the way and destroying the targets. He ran after them, summoning them directly back to him in time to destroy a third green Soldier and get the attention of a Large Body. It barely turned half way to face him before it too was destroyed, letting Auron loose again. Between the two of them, they dealt with the other three in almost no time at all.  
"Bravo," Hades cheered them on, clapping his hands to send in their next opponent. Goofy handed Donald an Ether to restore his magic, which was then used to bring them all back up to health. Donald had barely had any chance at all to let loose any offensive magic, having to constantly heal Goofy and Auron. Roxas had managed to remain unscathed only because of the enhancements made before he came in.  
The gates at the far end of the Underdrome dropped with a steely hiss, then the part of the Underdrome around them shattered, blasted out toward them as Cerberus burst through, jaws snapping hungrily, only just barely visible in the cloud of dust and debris.  
Goofy quickly shielded Donald from the debris, while he and Auron smashed the flying rocks aside. As it cleared, it became obvious that something was still holding Cerberus back. From behind it, he heard Sora's voice call out, "Behind you, you stupid mutt! Three brains, and still not a glimmer of intelligence in you... honestly, are you deaf too?"  
Cerberus was dragged backward, it's claws scrabbling to find purchase and digging long trenches in the floor of the arena, then it was heaved up and out of sight. Sora appeared beside Hades through a dark corridor.  
"You call _that_ the Guardian of the Underworld?" he asked Hades sardonically. "I could do a better job with one hand tied behind my back."  
"Now you see why the little brat's been such a pain to get hold of. But now comes the _real_ fun." Hercules came through the hole Cerberus had created, looking no worse than he'd gone in. "Ladies, gentlemen and the souls of the dead," Hades announced, his voice booming through the Underdrome. "Now for the main event! Hercules, the son of Zeus and Hera... against Roxas and his allies! Who will come out on top, and who will be consigned to spend the rest of eternity with me? Only one way to find out!"  
Hercules looked to Roxas, who nodded, then turned to face Hades.  
"Sorry, flame-brains," he called back. "But you overlooked one big thing. We've got the Olympus Stone, and that protects us – all of us – from you and your rules."  
"That's right," Hercules added. "We can fight on the same side – against you! Free Megara, or face us all!"  
Hades looked to Sora.  
"Don't look at me," he shrugged. "You're the one who orchestrated all this. I just provided the Heartless."  
"Doesn't this call for a change of agreement? I mean, they're ganging up against me, Sora."  
"Oh, no. You're _not_ getting out of it that easily. Look on the bright side – you get to take them all out personally, and ensure you get the souls of all of them."  
"Oh, come on. You're going to help me out with this, right?"  
"What's this? You?" Sora answered, amused. "Afraid of them? You're on your own, Hades." Sora pounded him hard on the back, sending Hades toppling down into the arena with them. "Go on, Roxas – let's see if you've really got the strength to stand up to me. Who'll come out on top – you, or Hades?"  
Roxas decided to keep in character for this, not letting slip that he still knew more than he should.  
"You've gotta be kidding me," he called up to Sora. "Me, lose to Hades? I've never lost to him before, and I'm not gonna start now!"  
"Prove it," Sora smirked back.  
"Come on guys," Roxas told the others. It was actually kind of nice to have friends to fight alongside him, he'd found. Alright, so they were technically simulations, but he created very realistic, accurate simulations of their real counterparts that meant he could forget it fairly easily.  
It was different to fighting alongside other Organization members. They had been more than ready to save their own hide, or sneak off when it came to Demyx, and only gave a healing or supporting hand if it became necessary, with none of the concern that Donald and Goofy gave him. They looked out for him and each other, helped out far more.  
Hades was still trouble though, and not lightly taken on. Even with both keyblades, he was a tough figure to crack. He and Auron remained at the front of their attack, with Goofy remaining back, keeping Donald from harm as he extinguished the fire attacks launched, and healed when necessary.  
He was going to need a new tactic for this, one he'd only tried once before so far.  
"Auron, fall back a moment. Take over from Goofy."  
"Right," Auron answered, blocking a direct attack from Hades, counter-attacking then taking Goofy's place.  
"Ya doing alright there, Roxas?" he asked as he came up alongside.  
"Just fine," Roxas grunted, pushed back by another attack. "Gimme a hand with this, will ya? I'm gonna throw Valor form at him."  
"Right ya are, Roxas. Ready when you are."  
Roxas pushed Hades back again, then threw Oathkeeper into the air, clapping it against Goofy's hand, both of them together calling out, "Power!"  
Goofy vanished and his clothing, identical to the new clothes Sora had obtained from Yen Sid, turned to their red and black colours. He snatched the falling Oathkeeper out of the air, darting forward and unleashing a swift and equally powerful barrage onto Hades. The form boosted his strength even further beyond the normal, dealing out devastating damage with unmatched speed.  
He only had a limited time before the form cancelled itself out and Goofy reappeared he knew, so made full use of it. Freed up from having to use support magic, Donald used every bit of magic he had, frequently pulling out Ethers and the like to restore it again, while Auron joined him on the attack. Auron lacked the speed and power he had, but the assistance was no less welcome.  
Just as the Valor form ended, Hades vanished, reappearing back up above them. Sora had vanished during the fight.  
"This isn't over yet!" Hades snarled. "Heartless, attack!" he commanded with a wave of one hand. Nothing happened. "Heartless? Uh... oh right. My agreement-my agreement! Gah! You fools have cost me the Heartless!"  
"Too bad for you," Roxas told him smugly. "Now, what about Megara?"  
"I don't have her," Hades answered snidely. "Sora left her down where the lock for this place used to be."  
Hercules didn't bother with a direct response. Instead he whistled through his fingers, calling for his friend, the Pegasus to come to his side. He mounted up quickly, then set off.  
"Come on you guys," Roxas told the others. "We gotta get down there after him. He might need our help."  
They hurried back to the entrance to the Underdrome, where Pain and Panic waited. Hades appeared in their path.  
"Leaving so soon? You haven't even collected your winnings."  
"Get out of the way Hades."  
"No. I like it here."  
Roxas gave an exasperated, "Agh!" then shoved the god hard, making him topple over into the lake.  
"You could have asked him," Auron noted.  
"I don't think he'd have moved then either. Pain, Panic. Get us back to the Underworld entrance, or the two of you will be next."  
Sora had tricked him. There hadn't been the slightest hint of him lying about it to him... but he did believe he was a Nobody, and of all the Nobodies Roxas had known, only Axel had seemed to show any sign of feeling guilt at lying to anyone. Since this Sora seemed to have found reason to dislike him, he doubted he'd see any problem with lying to him.  
Having Sora as his Nobody was definitely proving to be troublesome.  
"Say, Roxas?" Goofy nudged him on their crossing.  
"Yeah?"  
"How'd you know Sora?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Back at Hollow Bastion. You knew it was him without even seeing his face, even knew his name, but we'd never heard of him before then."  
"I guess I had a good hunch," he answered, covering for his additional memories and knowledge. "I wish I knew why I know his name though," he added. "It's like he's a part of me or something."  
"How can he be?" Donald asked sceptically. "You're you, the one and only."  
"Donald's right," Goofy nodded. "There's only one Roxas, and that's you! No one can take your place."  
"Heh. Guess not. Thanks guys."  
They disembarked back at the Underworld's entrance, only to be met by Phil.  
"You gotta do something, Roxas! Herc's missing, and there's a damn huge Hydra on the loose up top!"  
"Didn't Hercules finish it off?"  
"Obviously not, and that ain't all of it! I saw a guy in a black coat up with it, doin' who knows what to it!"  
"Black coat... did he have brown hair, by any chance?"  
"How'd you guess?"  
"Sora... come on. We've gotta stop this thing."  
"But what about Hercules?" Goofy asked. "What if he needs us?"  
"I'll go," Auron told them. "You deal with the Hydra."  
"Thanks, Auron," Roxas replied. "What'd I do without friends like you?"  
"You don't have to find out. Let's go to work."  
"Right. Let's see what trouble Sora's left for us this time."


	27. Chapter 27

_Twilight Town_

Xigbar exited the corridor alongside Sora, still bearing the curious look he'd picked up when Sora had asked him to work with him.  
"Any chance you'd let slip just what we're up to, tiger?" he asked again.  
"In a moment," Sora answered, waving a hand vaguely as he glanced around. They'd ended up on the top of Sunset Hill, giving him a perfect view of the surrounding area. He'd be able to see anyone coming, which was what he wanted.  
There was no one around, so he nodded, then finally turned to Xigbar. "It's like this," he told the taller man. "I'm working on something, and it involves setting up a meeting with Riku. The problem is, Riku thinks I've gone back with Roxas, so if he deals directly with me, he'll know something's up."  
"So you're making me your messenger boy, is that it?"  
"Hardly. All you've got to do is talk to him, get him to agree to a meeting up here. Let him pick the time, but don't get too specific about who he's meeting."  
"He's bound to ask questions, Sora."  
"I know. Just tell him it's someone he knows who's been looking for him."  
"That can't be you."  
"It isn't. You don't need to know who it is."  
"Thought you'd say that. So where do I find him?"  
"Last time I saw him, he was in the old mansion here in Twilight Town. You know the residents better than me, I know you've been sent to find out what they know. Make use of them to find out if they've seen him. Last time I saw him, he was wearing one of our coats and had a blindfold on."  
"Who was guiding him?"  
"No one. I assume he found some way to see without needing his eyes."  
"Wonder how he did it. If I don't find him here?"  
"Then track him down, Xigbar," Sora answered patiently. "I thought that was obvious. As soon as you've got the time, let me know. If I'm not at the castle, I'll be over at the Olympus Coliseum."  
"That's all?" Sora nodded. "This is Demyx's kinda work, ya know."  
"Demyx will be avoiding me if he knows what's good for him after his disgraceful performance in the Underworld," Sora answered. "He's becoming too unreliable."  
"That's been Demyx the whole time."  
"I'm not as lenient as Saïx is. Do you need anything else?"  
"No. I reckon I got everything I'll need."  
"Good. Try not to take too long, and don't take no for an answer."  
Sora opened a corridor, this time to the remains of Olympus Coliseum. He actually exited into what had been the arena, but moved quickly to a taller part of the ruins that allowed him to see down in front of the still-present Hydra. It seemed that Auron had been left behind this time, while Donald, Goofy and Roxas were trying to figure out how to harm his newly improved Heartless Hydra. They weren't having much in the way of success, with Roxas showing his more irritable side yet again. It was only by chance he struck at the emblem on the front of the Hydra, causing the armour to clatter to the ground. Realization struck him, bringing him to his senses. Then the head of the Hydra also struck him, sending him flying.  
Sora noticed the little satyr he'd terrorised earlier on a lower bit of the ruins, calling to Roxas while hefting a large pot. Roxas scrambled back to his feet, nodding to him. The pot was hurled toward Roxas, who sent it flying into the Hydra's head, stunning it for long enough for him to cut the head off.  
The Hydra buried the severed neck into the ground with a crash, and moments later four more heads sprouted, not long followed by the armour not just being restored, but added to the new heads as well.  
Sora glanced up at the sound of beating wings, spotting Pegasus bringing Megara to the relative safety of Phil, then dropping Hercules in to fight alongside Roxas. Auron emerged from the Underworld, also joining the fray.  
Roxas then took advantage of this, borrowing Pegasus to reach each of the heads in turn, while Hercules took the pots from the satyr to stun the heads, while Megara freed up Donald from healing them. Auron and Goofy took on the heads that were left, backed up by Donald's magic.  
Two heads went down in quick succession, with Roxas swiftly moving to finish them off so they couldn't grow back. How did he know how to deal with them?  
The other two followed shortly after, and the original neck with a regrown head was tugged from the ground. It barely had time to lunge for any of them before it too fell, finishing it off. Like other massive Heartless, it disappeared in a gale of darkness, setting the giant Heart it had held loose – only to be reclaimed by Kingdom Hearts.  
Something sparked not far away from him, making him glance down to those below. Donald had sent a thunderbolt at him, and the rest had their attention on him.  
Sora didn't stick around. It was clear he'd overstayed his welcome here. His involvement in this world was done with for now.  
He returned to Twilight Town, not to check up on Xigbar, but because he had time to spare. A brief stop in the common to pick up an ice cream, and he made his way to the tower. It'd been some time since he'd come here last, and longer still since it had been for ice cream.  
It gave him time and space to think though, reflecting on things.  
He'd come a long way since the first time he'd sat here. No longer just mindlessly following orders and collecting Hearts, he had his own goals now. He'd worked with what little he had, and turned it to his advantage, even going so far as to supplant Saïx as the second in command.  
What had started as an attempt to command the Samurais just to get to work sooner had resulted in working on the inside of the little rebellion that had formed, then just as quickly been thwarted by Roxas.  
Oh, yes, Roxas. He'd seemed so different in person than in the dreams, with the exception of the meeting at Castle Oblivion. He'd seemed... well somewhat dense. A little slow on the uptake, but generally good-natured, always looking for the best in people or a way to help out.  
And yet... every meeting, every sight of him since his awakening... it was as if he'd become an entirely different person. Quicker to anger, prone to furious outbursts, and far quicker than before. He noticed things... except it seemed more like he knew it was going to happen, and when Sora had meddled, Roxas always seemed to become unravelled. His agreement with Hades had clearly bothered him for some reason, but why? And why had he looked so unbelieving when he'd made the remark about cheering them on? The Hydra too, that seemed to have stumped him until he figured it out, yet in the Beast's Castle, Xaldin had reported that he seemed to know how to deal with the Heartless set loose there. Not just know, but he seemed to be able to counter attacks almost before they happened.  
How did he do it?  
"Well this is unexpected," Axel's voice came as he took a bit of wall beside him. "I was beginning to think you didn't consider me a friend any more."  
"I've just been busy," Sora shrugged. "That's all."  
"So I hear. I saw Xigbar in town, by the way. Talking to someone who looked like he was trying to be one of us."  
"Riku, probably. I asked him to talk with Riku for me, since Riku's meant to believe I'm with Roxas. Not to mention if he knew I'd tricked him, once he found out what I did to wake Roxas up and stay separate, he'd make good on his promise to Naminé."  
"What promise?"  
"That he'd hurt me if I did anything to her."  
"Just what did you do?"  
"I altered Xion, made her into a perfect replica of me. Changed a few memories, gave her a complete copy of my own with a few minor adjustments so that she'd believe she was me, and wanted to rejoin Roxas."  
"So that's what happened to her. Sneaky."  
"I know. Roxas has been adding more Hearts than Xion was though, so it benefits us better this way. I even had Xemnas' approval for it all."  
"So that's why he went along with your lie up on the Alter of Naught."  
"Yeah. But keep it to yourself. I'm only telling you 'cause we're friends."  
"Are we? You've changed a lot, Sora. You don't seem like the same kid I had up here last time we were both here."  
"I'm not a kid anymore, Axel," he answered. "I grew up and saw things the way they really are. Life is hard, Heart or no Heart. Gotta be strong to stand up to it, and overcome what it throws at you. Take what it gives you and turn it into something more."  
"Yeah... but... I heard about what you did to Demyx."  
"He ought to stop acting as if he has feelings and knuckle down, otherwise he'll just be dead weight."  
"That's exactly what I'm talking about. You're harsher than you used to be."  
"Had to happen. I can't go being lenient on people after Xemnas put me above everyone else like that. Got to be responsible."  
"How is threatening to turn him over to Roxas being responsible?"  
"It was meant to scare him into getting his work done. He wants to act afraid, well, I gave him something to be afraid of. I'm not going to hesitate to put him in a situation where he'll either have to prove himself, or be the next to fall."  
"I guess I don't get off easy just for being your friend, do I?"  
"Don't worry, Axel. You've done nothing to incur my wrath yet."  
"It's that 'yet' I'm worried about."  
"Just don't get out of line, and don't try anything like Demyx did," Sora shrugged again. "At least, not without being able to justify it. I'm not entirely unreasonable."  
"You mean when you're not busy being a zombie?"  
"Hey! I gave that up already."  
"I'm gonna have to find something else to call you now then. You finished with that?" he pointed to the ice cream stick in one hand.  
"Yeah, why?"  
"I thought you'd like some company heading back to the castle."  
"Thanks. Not often I get to travel with someone else."  
"Nothing good about being alone," Axel shook his head, but stayed sat down. "Or leaving friends behind," he added, almost to himself.  
"You alright, Axel?"  
"Yeah... I guess. I think I'm just starting to wonder why we're going through all this."  
"You?"  
"I don't feel useful any more, Sora. I'm always being sent off to this or that world to see how things are going, or to carry messages between members. I never get any real work any more."  
"Hey, don't go on like that. Act or not, you'll only get yourself down. C'mon, let's get you back to the castle. Things will look better tomorrow."  
"Maybe," Axel sighed, getting up at last. "Your corridor or mine?"  
"You go ahead. Make yourself useful," he teased.  
"Oh, thanks. The taxi of the Organization now," Axel chuckled faintly as he opened the corridor.


	28. Chapter 28

_Day 48_

Sora stayed up late for a change, sleep not being all that attractive an idea. It didn't even call to him like it usually did, as if he'd just outgrown the need for it.  
It was far later than anyone else usually stayed up, and much quieter.  
He'd gone up to the Alter of Naught, sitting on the low wall just like he did the one at Twilight Town's clock tower, staring into Kingdom Hearts. Or at least, the false image of it. But knowing it mimicked the real thing perfectly was just as good for now.  
Xigbar had stopped by earlier. Riku had agreed to the meeting at lunchtime tomorrow. Make that today. He was fairly certain it was past midnight now. He'd tell Maleficent later.  
Something flickered across his mind. Something about Dark City, but it faded again. He hadn't had anything like this since Xion had joined Roxas.  
It flickered again, then his view changed. He was in a memory now, he was certain. But who's memory was it?  
He was walking through the streets of Dark City. He recognised the coat he wore. It was definitely his own.  
Nobodies appeared behind him, and he found himself destroying them without being able to stop himself. It was just a memory, he told himself. This wasn't real, wasn't happening.  
The Nobodies petered off, allowing him to continue through the streets unhindered. He passed Axel leaning in a small alcove, but paid no attention.  
"Your mind's made up?" Axel's voice said to him, making him stop.  
"Why did the keyblade choose me?" he said in Roxas' voice, not turning around. "I have to know."  
"You can't turn on the Organization!" Axel shouted. "You get on their bad side and they'll destroy you!"  
"No one would miss me," he threw back over his shoulder, then continued on.  
"That's not true!" Axel's voice came, but fainter. "I would..."  
The memory faded out again, restoring his original view again.  
That had been Roxas' voice he'd spoken in. Unmistakable.  
But Roxas had never been a part of the Organization. He'd never have anything to do with them.  
The memory played again, but different. This time he was leaning against a building, and Roxas walked past him, wearing a coat matching his own. The conversation went the exactly the same way.  
What was happening... why were these memories coming to him? He shouldn't be getting them at all anymore.  
Another memory surfaced. He was stood on a massive circle platform with designs on it depicting Roxas and his friends – Donald, Goofy, Riku and Kairi. He stood on one side of it, hood raised up. He held a keyblade in each hand. Oathkeeper and Oblivion – Roxas' keyblades.  
Roxas stood opposite him, wielding a single keyblade in the original key form.  
The view changed again. Now it was him with the single key, wearing Roxas' outfit, standing opposite someone wearing his coat, holding the same two keyblades. The platform showed him with Roxas' friends instead.  
"Who are you?" he asked the figure now wearing his coat.  
"Someone from the dark," it answered, the voice familiar... but it couldn't be, could it?  
"You can't be... Riku...?"  
"Riku? I defeated a Riku once," it told him.  
"What?" It came out as if he was startled.  
"Tell me – tell me why he picked you!"  
It charged at him, dragging the keyblades over the platform, sending sparks flying. They battled, fighting almost fiercely. He was hit into the air by Oblivion, and the figure jumped up following him, continuing his attack in the air. Sora continued to block attacks, trying to strike back where he could.  
It seemed to notice the platform below.  
"I see," it said. "That's why."  
As they landed, his opponent battered away on his keyblade until it was knocked from his hand. As he reached for it, it was pinned to the ground by Oathkeeper.  
Sora glanced up at Oblivion pointed to him, then summoned it back to him, surprising his opponent.  
"What?" it exclaimed, leaving itself open long enough for Sora to deliver a finishing blow. The keyblades clattered to the ground, vanishing in twinned flashes, then the hood of the coat fell back to reveal Roxas.  
Roxas looked satisfied for the moment before he turned and took a few unsteady steps away from him, then said, "You make a good other."  
Sora's view returned once more.  
"A good... other?" he echoed. "Me?" It didn't sound like the sort of thing Roxas would say about him. If anything, he'd never just stop like that and walk away. He'd keep on fighting until one of them couldn't go on.  
Yet another change, but not such a significant one. He was still up on the Alter of Naught, but now he was stood up, away from the edge, and the Kingdom Hearts he was looking at looked different – the inside was missing, a black and purple core that looked like it had been torn out of it.  
This too faded.  
What did that last one mean? Was someone going to do something to his Kingdom Hearts? But no, it couldn't be. His one was kept safely away from the image hanging ahead of him, and that one was the one that had seemed damaged.  
Someone took a seat beside him. There was a strong sense something was very wrong as they did so, and a stronger sense when he saw that the someone was himself, dressed the same way Roxas was.  
"I wonder how long it's been," he said, looking up at the same Kingdom Hearts.  
"How long what's been?" Sora felt he had to ask.  
"Since I came in here."  
"Into... this world?"  
"No," he laughed. "A bit more than that, Sora."  
"Who are you?"  
"I'm what you left behind. Everything you don't remember."  
"You're me?"  
"Pretty much. The question is, who are you?"  
"Aren't I me too?" Even as he said it, he knew it sounded stupid.  
"Of course you are. But you're the Nobody me. The one who exists in all this," he gestured around. "This is your life, born when Roxas stabbed himself with the Keyblade of People's Hearts."  
"And you're not."  
"Already told you that, Sora. You're starting to pick up bits of my memories. Remembering things that happened to me."  
"The things I just saw. But some of them..."  
"Yeah, they were from Roxas. My Roxas that is, not the one you know."  
"There's two of him too?"  
"You know, I'm pretty sure I never asked that many obvious questions."  
"So they really happened. Roxas really was a part of the Organization."  
"Yeah. Number thirteen, the Key of Destiny."  
"But that's..."  
"Your title, I know. Like I said, that's my Roxas, not yours." This other him looked down at him at last, looking at him with the same blue eyes he used to have. His face seemed somehow kinder than his own, gentler. "You'll have a choice before long, Sora. Keep what you've gained here, or give it up to get back what you left behind. Think on it carefully, because there's no going back once you make that choice."  
"If I keep what I've got..."  
"Then your Roxas will try to stop you. But reclaim what you left behind... reclaim me, and the rest will make sense."  
"I thought things did make sense," he answered. "Until you and your memories came along."  
The other Sora looked back to the image of Kingdom Hearts above.  
"I guess it depends on your point of view. Are you really set on this?"  
"On what?"  
"What you're doing. I can't say I approve of it... but then I remember stopping Xemnas from taking Kingdom Hearts for himself. Riku and I had to face him alone... that was one battle I'd hate to have to fight again."  
Now Sora too turned back to Kingdom Hearts.  
"Don't you know why I'm doing it?"  
"No. Those are your memories. I'm just all you've forgotten. All I see is a member of the Organization, obsessing over Kingdom Hearts almost more than Xemnas did."  
There was a long silence before Sora finally answered, "It's what... feels right to me. I'm not going to be the tool of the Organization forever. They're going to be my tool to reaching Kingdom Hearts. I've worked so hard for it, put so much work into it, so many Hearts... it belongs to me in it's totality. I _will_ have it."  
When there was no answer, he glanced back beside him, but the other Sora had gone. He turned quickly, looking behind him, but there was no one there.  
Had that even actually happened?  
What if that other Sora had been right? Another him, another Roxas – another side of each, and another story to each.  
Those were memories from that other story he'd experienced. This other Roxas... that Roxas had led his life here, and the Sora...  
Or was it the other way round, was he the one matching Roxas' life?  
He shook his head, putting the thoughts from his mind. Either someone was playing games, or there was something strange going on. Either way, he wasn't going to let it stand in his way. He knew who he was, and who he'd be.  
The Key of Destiny, and the one who'd command the power of Kingdom Hearts. Even if this other Sora had been right – that was his goal, and he'd stop at nothing to reach it. The sacred moon he'd worked so hard toward... it belonged to him.  
The Key would unlock his Destiny, and that was to become one with Kingdom Hearts. He wouldn't ask it _for_ a Heart. It would _be_ his Heart.

The tower room of Hollow Bastion formed around Sora as he exited the corridor. He showed no evidence of his experiences in the early hours of that morning, instead showing the same harsh expression he kept to so often now.  
A strange silver door stood on one side of the room, and just around from it stairs leading down. That appeared to be all that was in this tower.  
"Maleficent!" he called out. "Show yourself!"  
"Ah, Sora," her voice almost purred. "What a pleasant surprise." Sora remained silent, waiting. Eventually, she came up the stairs, sweeping into view.  
"Your meeting is at lunchtime," he told her. "Sunset Hill, Twilight Town."  
"I'm surprised you managed to persuade him so quickly."  
"I didn't. I got one of the others to do it for me. I had other things to see to."  
"Will you be present?"  
Sora thought for a moment. If he kept his face hidden, perhaps Riku might shrug off anything he recognised as coincidence. Was it worth the risk? Would that other Sora...  
He pushed that thought from his mind. That... visitation was going to have no effect on his plans in the slightest.  
"I'll be there. But you keep my identity out of it. He's not to receive even the slightest hint of who I am."  
"Something between you and him?"  
"Something like that. He... has a promise over him that would mean if he knew who I was, a fight would follow. I'd rather avoid that if possible. Riku might unleash something better kept to himself."  
"You've aroused my suspicions, Sora."  
"So long as that's all I've aroused," he muttered under his breath, then louder, "I'll meet you there, but more than likely after you get there because of Riku. Now, about my information...?"  
Maleficent merely gestured toward the silver door beside her.  
"Pete is already there seeing to it. Very shortly, I'll be able to penetrate into the Disney Castle, and if I can do that..."  
"Then so can I. Keep your Heartless, Maleficent. Leave this one to me and my Heartless."


	29. Chapter 29

_Twilight Town_

Sora strode up the hill toward the meeting place. He'd have used a dark corridor, but suspected Riku would recognise the scent of his darkness.  
Maleficent was already there, but alone.  
"You told me he'd be here," she said, recognising him.  
Sora ensured Riku wasn't listening in anywhere nearby, then answered, "It's not midday yet. He'll be here, especially if he sees me. If he gets the idea you're working with the Organization, it might motivate him to take action."  
"What if he decides to attack?"  
"I doubt either of us have anything to worry-" he broke off. He knew that scent. Not as strong as his own, but not quite muffled by it. "He's here. Don't forget. Not a word about me."  
Maleficent turned to the path leading up the hill, and Sora took up a position behind her, keeping his hood pulled far enough over to completely conceal him.  
Moments later, Riku came into view, still wearing the blindfold.  
"So you're the one," he murmured cryptically. "What do you want Maleficent?"  
"I merely thought I'd look up an old friend. Is that so wrong?"  
"You tricked me, and now you expect me to still call you a friend?"  
"Don't forget what I gave you, Riku."  
"You gave me Ansem, Maleficent. You've no idea what I had to go through to be rid of that, and even now a part of him still resides in my Heart." Riku noticed him and added, "What's he doing here?"  
"He arranged this meeting," she answered.  
"Can't be. He's too short to be the one I met."  
"I was told another went to speak with you, but this young man is the ultimate architect behind this."  
_Ultimate architect,_ Sora thought to himself. _Nice term – one I think I'll steal for later.  
_"Who is he?"  
"None of our concern. This is between the two of us, no further. Come back with me, Riku."  
"And do what? Help you trick some other gullible fool into taking up the darkness so you can take over the various worlds again?"  
"Really, you sound like you think the worst of me."  
"Trouble is, the worst is usually true when it comes to you."  
"What has the light ever done for you, Riku?"  
"It's kept me from the darkness. Light and dark together, leading the way to the dawn. I'm of both now."  
"But the darkness still resides within you."  
"That's true. And I make use of it when I have to. But it doesn't rule me."  
"I see... so you refuse me entirely?"  
"I won't work with you. If anything, I'll stop you if you try anything."  
"Then I see no further point to this meeting." She glanced back to him, then as she vanished she added, "I leave you in the care of Sora."  
Riku drew in a sharp, surprised breath. Sora let one out loudly, almost shouting, "Maleficent!"  
A short red sword appeared in Riku's hand. Sora knew of it – Soul Eater.  
He drew back from it, not wanting to call on a Keyblade – it would give him away.  
Riku was quick though, and after several feints, Sora's hood fell back.  
"So it is you! How did you get loose from Roxas?"  
"I never went back to him," Sora growled back, pushing him away as he pulled out the Keyblade. There was no point in hiding it now he knew. "I used Xion, made her take my place."  
"You _what?_"  
"You heard me. You should have taken off that blindfold and looked at her with your own eyes. You'd have seen her the way she was, instead of the way I made her."  
"You lied to me!"  
"I lie to a lot of people, you were no different."  
"You promised to take care of Xion, not..."  
"I made no such promise. I did what I had to."  
"So you've left Roxas incomplete."  
"Guess again. I made Xion a perfect Replica – Roxas is complete thanks to that. Now all that's left is for me to get my Heart, and I'll be complete too."  
"I won't let you do that!"  
"Just try to stop me!"  
Riku lunged for him, but he was predictable and Sora got clear without any trouble. He focused, pushing aside the blind rage at Maleficent's ignorance of their agreement, blocking where he couldn't counter, and countering where Riku left himself open for it.  
Sora had strength built up from taking on all the Heartless he'd come across and created, let alone what the darkness did for him. He circled until Riku was between him and the fence, then pushed him back.  
Riku got clear before he was forced over the edge, forcing him to repeat the same again. This time, he paused after getting clear.  
"Why don't you give up?" Sora taunted him.  
"Come on, Roxas. I thought _you_ were stronger than that."  
"Get real – look which one of us is winning!" he answered before he'd even thought about it.  
"So... even now, you still have your ties to Roxas."  
"What're you talking about?"  
"No answers for a Nobody," Riku shook his head. "You don't have that right." He made another dash for Sora, but Sora stepped quickly aside and caught him from behind, sending him tumbling. Riku recovered quickly, ready for anything else, but not attacking.  
"How many times do I have to beat you? Or should I just finish you off right here and now?"  
"Fine. You've left me no other choice. I have to unleash the power in my Heart."  
"What nonsense are you babbling now?"  
"The dark power I've been holding back," he answered, getting to his feet and taking off the blindfold. The darkness engulfed him, the smell of it almost overwhelming Sora's senses. It started to take on a familiar tone to it.  
When it cleared, what remained was the coat, now floating in the air, but the occupant...  
Sora recalled when he'd joined Zexion on the short mission to the Destiny Islands. Riku had appeared there, but had also turned into someone else, someone who looked a lot like Xemnas. Now that same face was looking back at him.  
Behind him, the strange creature he'd seen form behind the possessed Riku on the islands appeared yet again. The smell of the darkness overpowered even his own. This was not a fight he should have started.  
"Another time, Riku," Sora told him, quickly stepping back into a corridor.  
As he left, he heard Riku's changed voice, say, "I have accepted it." He'd heard the voice before, both on the islands and in some of his earlier dreams.  
The corridor had been heading back to the castle, but instead he redirected it to exit at the Disney Castle, finding it barely needed any extra effort than any other world just to get there. Almost as soon as he'd arrived, he called in various kinds of Heartless, then also called on the Dusks and Samurais to cause extra trouble. So long as he kept them under control, they'd focus on that trouble instead of each other.  
He considered waiting for the inevitable arrival of Roxas, but decided against it. He was still a little winded from the short fight with Riku, and so instead headed back to the castle.  
"Where's Xemnas?" he asked Saïx shortly on arrival.  
"Out. What do you need him for?"  
"I don't know that you'd know... but fine. Who's Ansem?"  
"Which one?"  
"Tell me about both."  
"Ansem the Wise was the ruler of Radiant Garden. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness... I know little about."  
"Zexion saw the second one on Destiny Islands, didn't he? On that day I was with him."  
"Yes."  
"Riku just turned into him."  
He expected more of a reaction, but this was Saïx. He merely said, "Explain."  
"He found out about me being separate from Roxas still, and we ended up in a fight. When it looked like he was losing, he discarded the blindfold, darkness surrounded him, and when it cleared, this Ansem was looking back at me."  
"Interesting. What then?"  
"I left him like that. This creature thing appeared behind him, and with the smell of the darkness... I wasn't going to exhaust myself on that."  
"Sensible. The creature you saw we know only as Ansem's Guardian."  
"Heartless?"  
"We don't know."  
"Inconvenient. If you see Xemnas before I do, let him know about this will you? I want to get some rest."  
Saïx nodded, and he left him, headed for his room. He barely noticed anything along the way, settling onto the bed without bothering to take anything off.  
He didn't sleep. It wasn't that he couldn't reach it. He just didn't seem to need any. He couldn't explain it, but wasn't going to go looking for the reason in case he found it was only temporary. After today, bad news was something to be avoided.

_Roxas' Gummi ship_

Roxas got up, taking care not to disturb Donald as he headed back up to the cockpit where Goofy was keeping watch on their course. They were headed for the Disney Castle after the other two had caught a strong feeling they were needed there. Roxas knew what it was of course, but he was still trying to keep from giving away too much.  
He laid a hand on Goofy's shoulder.  
"Go on down," he murmured. "You get some sleep. I'll keep watch until morning."  
Goofy nodded, yawned, then left him to it.  
There was nothing interesting around, though in a while they'd be passing by Hollow Bastion. He checked anyway, ensuring there were no Gummi Heartless or Nobodies around. Travelling by Gummi Ship had it's own share of issues, he'd discovered, though so far he'd proved to be an adept pilot.  
As he settled into the pilot's chair, he pulled out the _other_ change he'd made before coming in from one pocket.  
At first glance, it appeared to be little more than a small, thin sheet of silvery metal, about the size of the palm of his hand. After Roxas passed a hand over it, the second glance showed it was his access to the simulation's details.  
He was the only one who had write-access to the data behind it, with the exception of himself and Sora of course. There was no way he would have come in here without at least some way to keep an eye on things.  
Of course, as it wasn't strictly speaking part of the simulation, he couldn't use it openly, and so his chances to use it were few and far between.  
He'd automated a fair part of it though, setting it to condense what happened to give him an at-a-glance overview.  
It told him little he didn't already know. Earlier that day though, Maleficent, Sora and Riku had appeared together in Twilight Town. A detailed look into the event revealed that Riku and Sora had fought, and that Riku had finally become Ansem. He'd begun to wonder if that would ever happen, and what effect it might have had if Riku had never done that, but it seemed he wouldn't be finding out anytime soon.  
He checked up on Sora next. Currently back at the castle again. It looked like he wasn't sleeping again. Why that should be, he couldn't tell. It could have been the one oddity he'd picked up... but that was in the Organization's Kingdom Hearts, not Sora.  
Roxas checked it anyway. There seemed to be no way he'd prevent it from being completed before he reached the World that Never Was, but the knowledge that DiZ would be there with the odd device he'd either made or was making by now made it certain that complete or not, anyone who gained power over it wouldn't be able to control the full potential it had.  
And yet... there it was again. A single bit of data that had been attached to the Kingdom Hearts that contained just four characters.  
'Sora'  
There was no author on the data, not even a suggestion of who or what had created it. It was as if it had just turned up by itself.  
He nudged the controls, steering the Gummi Ship to one side to avoid a passing meteor, noting Hollow Bastion in the distance, then returned to the sheet, and this mysterious data.  
Could the simulated Kingdom Hearts actually have some real power, despite it being only a simulation? And if that was so, could this suggest that it had a mind of it's own... and was doing something to Sora?  
Sora's inability to sleep... could that be caused by it?  
He set a watch on the Kingdom Hearts data so if anything else turned up, he'd be notified, then with another pass of his hand, the sheet became blank again, just an ordinary seeming bit of metal that was stowed away again.


	30. Chapter 30

_Sora's Diary_

I've been having these weird thoughts lately.  
And just saying that gives me the weird feeling I've done it before.  
I thought when Xion took my place with Roxas, completing him, I'd stop getting his memories.  
And yet, I'm getting memories again. Some of them are his, but others are mine.  
At the same time, they're not mine or his either. It's like there's a second life for each of us where Roxas is my Nobody, and I'm the Somebody – like a role-reversal.  
But that's impossible, right? I sound crazy, I'm sure of it.  
It's been happening to me ever since I found I didn't need to sleep anymore. I just seem to be able to get by without even so much as needing to have a nap.  
Then a few nights ago... I thought I just couldn't sleep, so I went up to the Alter of Naught, in the hopes that Kingdom Hearts could set me at rest. It's worked before.  
But it didn't do it that night. I got memories again, some from this alternate Roxas and some from the alternate me.  
Then to top it all off... I had... I dunno what it was... I guess you could call it a visitation.  
He wore the same stuff as Roxas, but he looked exactly like me.  
He said he was what I left behind, what I didn't remember. Told me that the way he remembered it, it was Roxas who was number Thirteen, Roxas who got named the Key of Destiny.  
Then he told me I had a choice, between what I've got here, and what I used to have.  
I already know Roxas will try to stop me if I keep what I've got, but this... other me, he said if I took back what I used to have, everything would make sense.  
I'm starting to think he might be right.  
But if I take what I left behind, will I lose what I've got here? Everything I've done, everything I've achieved?

_The Secret Diary_

Though I cannot say so openly, I will not let these strange happenings derail what I'm working towards. I've come too far for that.  
Maleficent proved to be a poor investment, turning me over to Riku, who has in turn taken on the appearance of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. To take on him would be too great a risk at this point.  
The ploy Maleficent put into place that gained all the capability to freely enter the Disney world and castle did not last. As Roxas was seen in the castle, it is clear what the cause is.  
He has since visited the worlds of Atlantica, Port Royale, Halloween Town, Agrabah and the Pride Lands, countering Heartless threats caused by Pete in all but Atlantica. That world appears free of contaminants from both Maleficent and the Organization, and holds nothing of real value.  
During this time, I have kept mostly out of the way of Roxas, Maleficent and Riku too when possible. My contributions of Heartless have been considerably less than before.  
Mostly I have been checking up on other members of the Organization.  
Xigbar is continuing work in Twilight Town at this time, his purpose to influence belief that the Heartless that continually show up there are a direct result of the actions of Roxas, and furthermore that his periodic visits where he destroys them are merely attempts to throw off this trail.  
I have also asked him to investigate the old mansion where Roxas was being kept while asleep. So far it appears obvious that DiZ and Naminé have evacuated it, though where to we do not know.  
Xaldin has begun the second stage of his operation at the Beast's Castle, forcing him to choose between a certain rose and Belle, in an attempt to draw out the Beast's Heartless and Nobody. Figuring without the intervention of Roxas, this should not take long to achieve once the proper leverage has been attained.  
Saïx has captured the girl Kairi, who appears to hold great value to Roxas, though Roxas is unaware of this as yet. He keeps her under guard in our castle, and has also tasked himself with the security of the castle. He plans to make an appearance tomorrow to Roxas, informing him that Kairi is being kept as a guest, after Axel captured her.  
Axel... has turned traitor. No one knows where he is or what he is doing. It's anybody's guess what's going through that mind now. The last we heard was that he'd attacked Saïx when he gave Demyx his orders for tomorrow. Up until then, he'd appeared contented to ensure everyone was doing as they were meant to.  
Demyx has been assigned to me tomorrow, and I myself have been asked by Xemnas to participate in the coming battle. Maleficent's Heartless surrounding the tower of Hollow Bastion contain a great many Hearts between them, and those Hearts must be released.  
To that end, the Samurais, Dusks, and Assassins (which have become as my own Nobodies since Axel's betrayal) will be joining me in a mass outbreak of fighting between them and Maleficent's Heartless.  
This will be the distraction that lures Roxas to the scene, which will in turn give us the Hearts we require. As Demyx has proved himself incompetent at even the simplest of tasks, I plan to put him in the path of Roxas tomorrow.  
To prevent escapes, during the journey to Hollow Bastion, I believe I can remove his ability to use the corridors, forcing him to fight – or flee into the Heartless, which will undoubtedly turn on him when they realise he too is a Nobody.  
Kingdom Hearts progresses well. Even if Roxas should make it to the World that Never Was before it is complete, once he is there it will be so close to completion that I need only leave the place in the care of the remaining members while I take out enough Heartless to finish it off.  
If all proceeds accordingly, Roxas will fell all but Xemnas, who I shall defeat personally.  
And then, Kingdom Hearts, you will be mine, and no one will stop us together. Not Riku, not Roxas, and certainly not any alternate version of me.  
XIII.

_Day 55  
__Hollow Bastion_

Demyx was in position. He could not flee either way, he had to fight. It was inevitable.  
Sora watched as Roxas and his friends, now accompanied by the King too, made their way into the clearing at the entrance of the canyon leading to the tower.  
Demyx confronted them, trying to be friendly. Roxas didn't appear to be having any of it, and they ended up in a battle.  
"Xemnas," he murmured, detecting the familiar scent as he appeared nearby. "Is something wrong?"  
"No," he answered. "I merely decided I had to see things for myself. Your Somebody appears to be quite a capable fighter."  
Sora nodded, "If only they were put to better use on the right side."  
"I doubt he'd take up any offer from us."  
"You're probably right. But you have to wonder..."  
"Perhaps you should take insights from his style and use them yourself."  
"It wouldn't work. He can use two Keyblades, I can't. I don't know why."  
"Having more doesn't make him better."  
"I know. How's the battle going?"  
"Hard to say. Be on guard, Sora. Saïx says he felt Axel's presence in the area."  
"If he comes near me..."  
"Watch your actions, Sora. I don't want to have to lose our only sure-means of gathering Hearts – not to mention what appears to be my only truly loyal member."  
"You suspect the others?"  
"Saïx, as you reported some time back, appears to have his own agenda... Demyx is soon to be no more. Xigbar is starting to question things since Axel's departure, and Xaldin does not agree that we need a Heart. Only you share my goals with unflinching loyalty."  
Sora watched Demyx try to keep his opponents at bay as much as he could, knowing that Xemnas' faith in him was sorely misplaced. He idly wondered what it was going to be like when he finally revealed to Xemnas what he was going to do.  
"I'll continue to work toward our goals always," he told Xemnas at last.  
"I know. Continue your good work," he added, then he too departed.  
Demyx stumbled back from a powerful blow from Roxas, then again from another by the King. The sitar was dropped, and he cried out imploringly as he vanished back into the darkness.  
Sora took advantage of the distraction to pick up a fair sized rock, hefting it a few times, then hurling it towards them.  
He'd aimed for the King, but it caught Goofy instead.  
Donald noticed first, trying to shake the unmoving figure back to life, then Roxas ran to his side.  
The King's voice cut through the distance easily.  
"They'll pay for this," was all he said, casting off the black coat he'd worn.  
Roxas spotted the rock, then looked up and saw him. With an angered yell, the rock was hurled back. Sora brushed it aside disdainfully, shaking his head. A snap of the fingers, and they were surrounded by Dusks. Roxas turned on them in a furious rage, cutting through them in moments. The King seemed no less irked.  
While they were distracted, Sora took the opportunity to head out of sight to watch the main battle itself. The Nobodies were starting to push back down the canyon.  
_My liege,_ a voice came to him. He glanced behind and saw several of the Dancer Nobodies.  
"Can I help you?"  
_Our commander has fallen,_ one told him.  
_We seek to take the offer you made,_ another added.  
_We are yours to command, Sora,_ the third concluded.  
Sora nodded, then gestured to the Nobodies below. "Supplement their numbers. They can give you all the details you'll need to know.  
_We understand.  
_And then just like that, they were gone. He gave them a few moments, then turned back to see the Dancers had joined the fray.  
Fighting erupted closer to him, and he glanced over the edge he was stood at, seeing Roxas, Donald and the King all fighting their way through Heartless and Nobody alike. Leon and Cloud strode alongside them, and not far behind were the two women he'd seen with them on his very first visit to Hollow Bastion. He knew them now thanks to a recent reconnaissance report from Xigbar, identifying them as Yuffie and Aerith.  
Sora glanced back up the canyon to where Demyx had spent his last moments, and saw Goofy charging down after them. Next time, he'd find a bigger rock to throw at him.


	31. Chapter 31

_Day 62  
__Hollow Bastion – Bailey_

Roxas was worried. It had been nearly a week since the last time he'd seen Sora, and in that time there was absolutely no evidence in the slightest of his interventions. During that time, he'd travelled back to the Land of Dragons to clear up the last giant Heartless there, defeated Xaldin at the Beast's Castle, uncursed the notorious pirate Captain Jack Sparrow in Port Royale – that had been fun he recalled – persuaded Hades to give up yet again, causing a constellation of him, Donald and Goofy to appear in the skies, naming them full heroes, much to Phil's consternation, helped Jack Skellington save Christmas Town from a rogue experiment, sent Jafar packing, then finally gone back to the Pride Lands to get rid of the ghost of Scar and another giant Heartless. Which had been difficult to destroy while he was in his lion form, but at least that form persuaded him to sink deeper into Sora's personalty. It was definitely one of the more fun worlds to visit.  
Because of this lack of intervention, he'd been able to do the same through many of the other worlds. He was sure of it now, he wanted a crack at Sora's life, this time without Sora getting in the way.  
But that was going to have to wait. Hollow Bastion seemed to have gone berserk. Cid's claymores were attacking everything and everyone, Merlin and Cid were working on some kind of program to eradicate the Master Control Program from Space Paranoids – a world he'd discovered inside Ansem's computer – and the Heartless that he'd met there were now running around the town causing trouble.  
This was fairly minor though, having seen and heard nothing from Sora bothered him more.  
Now he was headed through the Bailey, headed for the remains of the restoration site so he could find out what was going on in Space Paranoids.  
"Roxas!" Goofy exclaimed. "Look there, up ahead!"  
"Isn't that..." Donald started.  
"Sora," Roxas finished.  
Sora was surrounded by Heartless in a large open area, just before the tunnels that lead to Ansem's study. In one hand, he held his Keyblade, in the other was a mass of darkness. He seemed to be alternating between striking out with the Keyblade and the darkness, but for every Heartless he destroyed, more just came pouring out of the tunnels.  
"I'm going to regret this later," Roxas muttered to himself. "Come on guys. He needs our help."  
"Ya sure?" Goofy asked.  
"No. But if we don't help him, the Heartless will keep on pouring past him and into the town. So we're going to anyway." He paused, then added, "Though I don't think we need to worry about actually helping him. Just dealing with the Heartless. So keep your healing magic for us, Donald."  
Donald nodded, then they headed on in, joining Sora.  
"I don't need your help," Sora told them.  
"We're not doing it for you," Roxas replied. "Can't let the town get claimed by the Heartless."  
"At least we agree on that point. Just keep out of my way."  
Roxas hated to admit it, but in this case, the Nobody Sora was much more useful than the real one probably would have been. He and Sora stood back to back, circling around lashing out with their Keyblades, Sora supplementing it with both magic and the darkness, while Donald rained storms of thunderbolts, hailstones and fireballs down on the Heartless. Goofy barred the way down into Hollow Bastion, bashing the Heartless back in towards them.  
Slowly but surely, they began to make some progress, until the last of the Heartless, one of the Devastator Heartless from inside Tron's world, ended up impaled on a Keyblade from each of them.  
The moment it was clear, Sora turned sharply to face them, still ready for to attack.  
"Why are you here?" he demanded of them.  
"You just saw why we're here," Roxas answered. "The MCP has control of the town's defences, and it looks like some way of creating Heartless at will. I can't let it go doing that."  
"No, I don't suppose you could," Sora said, rolling his eyes.  
"What about you? What are you doing here?"  
"Keeping Hollow Bastion from being overrun by the Heartless. Xemnas decided we need the world intact, so I've been told to do whatever is necessary to keep it safe." Sora straightened, holding a less threatening stance, and the darkness in his hand vanished. He looked skyward for a moment in thought, then with a revolted expression he said, "I'm going to hate myself for this."  
"For what?"  
"You are going to work with me. Since our goals are the same. I don't like it, and this doesn't mean I trust any of you in any way... but it looks like getting you what you want is the only way to get what I want as well. Much as I detest the idea of having to work with you... better with you than in competition with you."  
Roxas shifted Oblivion into the same hand as Oathkeeper, holding out his free hand to Sora, who regarded it for a few moments before tossing his own Keyblade to his other hand to take it.  
"I'm still going to stop you though," he told Sora. "Just after this is done."  
"You'll have to catch me first. You know the way to this... what did you call the place?"  
"Space Paranoids."  
"Weird name. I guess that's what happens when it's left up to weird people like you to name worlds."  
"Hey! I didn't name it!"  
"Sure thing," Sora replied sceptically. "Just lead the way already, and be ready for trouble. I doubt this lull in the Heartless is for nothing."  
Donald still watched Sora warily, but Roxas ignored it and showed the way. Having Sora work with him like this? This could be interesting. Maybe he'd find out what members of the Organization would have looked like if they'd gone into Space Paranoids.  
At first, their progress into the tunnels was unhindered, but then Sora's warning showed itself to be true when a swarm of various Heartless mobbed them, several having taken a different route to come at them from behind as well.  
"Give me strength," Sora muttered when he realised they were surrounded, his Keyblade flashing into a longer beam of white, and the darkness in his other hand forming a similar blade.  
Roxas didn't find out what happened next, as he had to concentrate on the Heartless in front of him.  
"There's too many!" Donald cried out at one point when his magic had completely run dry.  
"Roxas!" Sora snapped. "Start carving a path! I'll guard our rear, just keep moving!"  
"Easier said than done, Sora!" he called back.  
Then Sora was there beside him. "Then take the rear yourself, I'll cut us a path through." As he pushed back to hold them off, he could have sworn Sora muttered, "Idiot."  
With Sora leading their party, they made much quicker progress through the study, then on into the computer room. With some effort, they managed to close the door that lead down to the Heartless Manufactory.  
"Never thought I'd be shutting this down," Sora remarked.  
"You knew about this?" Roxas asked him.  
"Obviously, idiot. I used to use it myself whenever missions left me short of Hearts. I never gave a second thought to anything else, none of it was useful to me." Sora frowned for a moment, looked around curiously, then finally turned to the computer.  
"Something up?"  
"Of course not," Sora snapped, though there seemed to be a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "Just... never mind. Get on with it and get us to this paranoid world of yours."  
"You might look a little different when you get there," he warned.  
"I know," Sora answered absently, then rubbed at his head. "I wish it wouldn't do that." They all looked at him curiously, but he shook his head and said, "None of your business."  
Roxas activated the converter, then quickly stepped back as the four of them were transferred to the Pit Cell inside the computer's dataspace.  
Roxas noted with some dismay that aside from his skin turning the same ashen grey as theirs, Sora remained unchanged.  
"Uh... where's Tron?" Goofy asked, peering about. "Shouldn't he be here?"  
Roxas made some show of checking the terminal nearby. He knew what had happened, but with Sora around as well, he still had to be careful.  
"He's on the game grid. It looks like Sark is trying to get rid of him again."  
"Who cares?" Sora shrugged. "We've got to go to the MCP."  
"Without Tron, we're not going anywhere," Roxas told him. "Much less taking on the MCP."  
"Heartless!" Donald called from the exit.  
Sora picked up Donald, placing him back in the room, then when they just stared at him he burst out, "Well don't just stand there you morons, go save him! I'll hold the Heartless off!" A ball of fire came into view, almost hitting Sora but instead impacting on a brief flash of darkness nearby. Sora stuck out one hand, throwing a fireball back again with a call of, "Try again, maybe next time you'll even get close to me!"  
"Come on," Roxas told them, setting the terminal to transfer them to the game grid.  
Tron was already on the grid, running from Devastators and Magnum Loaders. His Identity Disk didn't seem to be doing much damage.  
They went to his aid quickly, getting between him and the Heartless so he could catch a break. As soon as the Heartless were down, they made a break for the crack in the wall they'd made on an earlier visit, transporting them quickly back to the Pit Cell.  
"Thanks," Tron said. "But how did you know I was in trouble?"  
"The User world is overrun with Heartless created by the MCP," Roxas explained. "It's taken over the town's defences too. When you weren't here, I figured either it or Sark were up to something again."  
Tron's reply was drowned out with Sora's voice called out, "And take that with you, you little bag of buggy code!"  
"Who..." Tron couldn't even find it within himself to finish the question.  
"That's Sora," Goofy told him. "He's Roxas' Nobody."  
"Nobody?"  
"It's a long story," Roxas cut off the explanation. "He doesn't like us, but he's working with us to get rid of the MCP because it's his goal too. I wouldn't trust him any further than you can throw him."  
"I heard that, Roxas!" Sora called back. "Unless you've got better things to do, get your backsides up here and give me a hand!"  
"He's really starting to annoy me, Roxas," Donald told him.  
"Try to put up with him," he answered. "I hate to admit it, but he's useful right now. Of course, I'm probably going to regret helping him later, but helping him is helping us."  
"Right now, Roxas!" Sora called. Roxas sighed, then lead them out and up to the Canyon area.  
"You called?" he asked Sora mildly when they caught up with him. "This is Tron, by the way."  
"I'm so happy for you," he grunted, sending an attacking Hostile Program flying away in a cloud of darkness. It twitched on the ground as sparks ran through the cloud and into it before it gave up and was destroyed. "While you were busy having fun, I drove the Heartless back to here. Would you care to be useful now?"  
"We've got to get to the I/O tower first, so we can download Cid's program into Tron. Without it we can't defeat the MCP."  
Sora sighed. "Can't you do anything in one simple step? The MCP's a program, just push the power button."  
"It doesn't have one," Tron supplied.  
"Figures. Go get on with it. I've got the attention of the Heartless. You shouldn't have any trouble."  
"Donald, Goofy, do you think you can get Tron there safely?"  
"Sure thing, Roxas," Goofy replied. "But are ya sure it's the right thing to do?"  
"If Sora and I have their attention here, they won't pay so much attention to you. Besides, once Tron's got Cid's program, he'll be powered up and more than a match for anything you'll encounter."  
"Oh, go away, Roxas," Sora told him, disgusted. "I don't need your help."  
"I'm not offering you help," Roxas grated, trying to keep his temper. "I'm trying to keep the attention off them."  
"Whatever. Just don't get in my way."  
The three headed off, leaving him and Sora alone with the Heartless.  
"Say, Sora," he called at one point. "What're you going to do once we're done here?"  
"Get out of this damn computer and get as far away from you as I possibly can," he replied.  
"Don't you like me?"  
"Why should I? You've tried to attack me every time I've shown up before now, why should I expect you not to do the same the moment we stop sharing a common goal?"  
"I have a sense of fair play," he pointed out. "I wouldn't do that to you."  
"Sure." It was said with the kind of sarcastic tones that told anyone louder than words they weren't believed.  
"So how's your Kingdom Hearts coming along? Anyone managed to sabotage it yet?"  
"No, and no one's going to if I have anything to say about it."  
"I hear DiZ has created a device that can encode the entire thing," he ventured. He knew it wasn't true, the original had exploded before it had even gotten half way, but maybe it would get to Sora.  
It didn't work. "Your point?" he called back.  
"Just thought I'd let you know. In the sense of fair play."  
"In the sense of fair play, you'd better keep clear of me once this is over with, because the moment Kingdom Hearts is competed, I'm going to come hunting for you, and you're not going to beat me."  
"Don't bet on it, Sora. I'm better than you are."  
"Hah! You?"  
"At least I have morals."  
"Morals are for people too afraid of the consequences," Sora answered. "Your friends are back," he added.


	32. Chapter 32

Tron took Roxas' warning not to trust him seriously, Sora noticed. He kept a close watch on him, and only let him out of his sight if it meant Roxas could keep an eye on him.  
Tron was a program though, and seemed incapable of anything except logic. If it wasn't logical, he didn't understand it. There was no uncertainty, no in-between state.  
It was also none of his concern, he reminded himself as he pushed through the renewed swarming of the Heartless. This MCP thing knew they were here, and was putting every obstacle it could in their way.  
The memories had started to surface again. The other Sora's memories. He'd come into here and saved Tron just like Roxas had, used a Solar Sailor to reach the lair of the MCP and this Sark program, and deleted them both.  
It was distracting him to say the least.  
Now they were waiting on the same Solar Sailor for Tron to get it up and going.  
"You'll have to be ready to defend it," Tron warned the others. "It doesn't have any kind of defences, and if too much weight is on it-"  
"Leave it to me," Sora told them. "I'll deal with it once we get going."  
"Why not now?"  
"Because it wouldn't be safe."  
"What are you going to do?" Roxas asked him warily.  
"Keep us safe," he shrugged. "Isn't that what we want?"  
"Specifics, Sora."  
"Fine. I'm going to create a barrier of darkness around the Sailor that'll keep everything at bay. Happy now?"  
"If you can do that, why didn't you hold the Heartless off with one?"  
"Because I was trying to take control of them."  
"And?"  
"And it didn't work, obviously. Either something has enough power to overrule me, or it just doesn't work here in this computer world. Now are we going to get moving or not?"  
Tron set them in motion. As soon as they'd cleared the dock, he pushed out the barrier around them, beyond the lines of light they were using. The only gaps in the barrier were around those lines – without them, they would have fallen. Probably.  
It was tough enough maintaining a large barrier, and tougher still when various programs and Heartless slammed into it to try and get through. Every time something hit the barrier, it impacted on him, and that in turn shook the Sailor.  
Donald attempted some magic at one point, but after his fireball it the inside of the barrier, making the Sailor shake even worse than the Heartless, he stopped.  
"Can't you do something?" he asked Sora.  
He glared down and answered, "You try carrying a barrier this big on your back and then tell me you have enough left to do anything else."  
"What about... making it do something to them when they hit it."  
Sora ignored this. He could feel another memory surfacing. "Not now!" he snapped irritably, shifting his weight slightly so the barrier shoved several Heartless aside, momentarily stunning them.  
He lost the view, though he could feel his barrier still there. He was lying on a beach now, looking up into blue skies.  
"Sora, your barrier's starting to fail!" Roxas' voice called. He tried to concentrate on it, but the memory made it hard.  
He got up, looked out to sea for a moment, then stretched and yawned. As he leaned back, Kairi's face appeared above him, startling him.  
"Sora, you lazy bum," she said. "I knew I'd find you snoozing down here."  
Something hit the barrier hard, sending him stumbling, then something made the Sailor shake. Possibly something had managed to get through.  
Both the memory and the barrier vanished when something hit him, sending him flying off the Sailor. He was right, a Large Body Heartless, altered with the same coloured lines everything in this world was made of, had made it onto the platform and hit him.  
Sora quickly recovered, using the darkness to head after and catch up with the Sailor. The Heartless was large, but he built up a fair turn of speed and rammed it off, quickly re-establishing the barrier.  
"What happened to you?" Roxas asked, unusually concerned.  
"I had to put up with you distracting me," Sora told him, muttering complaints under his breath. He wished these memories would pick better times to surface.  
The Heartless resumed their attacks on his barrier, but with no further distractions they made it to the destination dock without any further attacks. Once there, he let the barrier go, sending it out in a shockwave that dispersed the Heartless.  
"We can do this without you if you're not up to it," Roxas told him  
"And if it wasn't for Tron, I would be doing this without you right now, so don't think you're getting rid of me that easily." Another memory came, showing him a town he'd never seen before. "Enough already!" he snapped, noticing there was a dog beside him... what was his name...  
"Pluto," Sora supplied. It wasn't him, it was the other Sora again. He walked into the alleyway of the town where he and Pluto were, crouching by the dog. "And this is Traverse Town. Though it doesn't exist any more. It was formed from the remains of worlds the Heartless had consumed, so when I defeated Ansem and restored them, the parts that made the town all went back where they belonged." The other Sora glanced up at him and added, "Sorry. I guess my recollection distracted you."  
When his view returned, Tron looked baffled, while Roxas and Donald were looking thoroughly spooked.  
"Oh, forget it," he told them. "Let's just get this over with already."  
Sora paid little attention to the brief conversation that passed between the MCP, Sark and Tron, instead tapping Roxas' shoulder.  
"What?"  
"You and Tron deal with the MCP. Give me Donald and Goofy, and the three of us will take on Sark."  
"You're not going to try anything are you?"  
"No, I just thought I'd use them as a distraction instead of dealing with the real reason I came here," he retorted sarcastically. "Donald and Goofy aren't going to be able to do anything to the MCP, only you and Tron can do that. So let them work with me against Sark."  
"Any sign of tricks..."  
"Will you stop that, Roxas?"  
"Roxas!" Tron grabbed his other shoulder, pointing to Sark. The program had grown into a veritable giant.  
"Agreed?" Sora pressed Roxas.  
"Fine. Donald, Goofy. Work with Sora on Sark. Leave the rest to us."  
Sora actually paid little attention to Roxas' friends, though he found fighting alongside them strangely familiar. The other Sora, of course.  
He knew how to deal with Sark. He'd seen it in the memory, but he had other abilities that the other Sora hadn't had.  
"Deal with his ankles," he told the others. "That'll bring him down to our level. Then go for his head."  
"Got anything to restore magic?" Donald asked him. Sora put a hand on one shoulder and gave him a shot of his own magic.  
"Don't say I don't do anything for my allies, whether I like them or not," he said, then headed up into the air to Sark's head. "Well what do you know? Looks like a big bug to me. Guess I'll have to squash you."  
"You? You will be derezzed like the rest of them," Sark answered, reaching out to him. When he tried to take hold, he was sent reeling back, black sparks running over his circuits.  
He discarded his Keyblade, then formed the darkness into a long whip. One flick wrapped it around Sark's neck, after that it was a simple matter of flicking it to smash his head into a wall.  
Below him, he noticed Tron and Roxas having trouble with the ring of barriers protecting the MCP. He gave a hard tug on the whip as they began to spin again, hauling the struggling Sark down into their path. The barriers were destroyed as they impacted his face. It hadn't been much of a face to look at in the first place, and the continued impacts didn't exactly improve it.  
Sark continued to struggle at the whip with one hand, flailing ineffectually around with the other and catching Donald and Goofy only by accidentally stumbling over them. Sora sent blasts of darkness down the whip and into Sark. Every one of them turned a bit more of the circuits black. He noticed as they spread, the massive red column that was the MCP started to take on a darker shade too. There was some link between them, evidently. Perhaps he could make use of this...  
He nodded to himself, increasing the blasts as much as he could. Before long, Sark's circuits were fully black, and he'd stopped moving entirely. He gave one haul on the whip, dragging the massive program toward him, then hurled it into a corridor large enough to accommodate it. He had plans for that.  
The MCP was definitely much darker than it had been, but only for a few moments before Tron sent a last blast of... something at it that caused the column to thin out, then wink out of existence entirely. Donald quickly ran to Roxas, telling him what Sora had done even as Sora landed nearby.  
Tron listened intently, then came over to him.  
"Did he get derezzed too?" he asked simply.  
"I have no idea. I could check," he offered. "In exchange for something."  
"Aren't we..."  
"Working together? No. The MCP is gone, it's control broken, and that means Hollow Bastion is safe. I've no further reason to help you."  
"What do you want?"  
"What do you have to give?" Sora answered, crossing his arms.  
As Tron contemplated that, he checked on Sark and found that he'd been preserved only because of the darkness he'd put into the program. Though he wasn't exactly a program any longer. He could exist anywhere darkness could.  
On the other hand, he seemed to have lost his memories, and many of the functions the MCP had granted to him. He retained his size, but little else. If he was going to make use of Sark like this, he'd have to make some adjustments.  
"Go careful on what you give him, Tron," Roxas warned. "There's no telling what he'd do with it."  
"On the other hand, if you don't think it's safe to tell me, you're free to continue wondering about Sark's state of existence," Sora told him.  
"Roxas told me you work for an Organization," Tron said.  
"Organization Thirteen," he confirmed. "I'm number thirteen, the Key of Destiny and the second in command."  
Roxas looked momentarily stunned, but covered it by asking, "I thought that was Saïx?"  
"It was, but Xemnas decided I was more deserving," Sora told him.  
"I believe there's some data in the DTD database about your Organization."  
"Show me."  
"I can't do it here. We'd either have to go all the way back to the Dataspace, or you'd have to go back to the User world and retrieve the data from the terminal there."  
"You'll be able to hear me out there, will you?"  
"Yes."  
"Then we'll do it the second way. I'll tell you what you want to know after you provide me with that."  
"Agreed."  
Roxas groaned to himself. Sora knew why – Tron had given him the chance to leave without having to pay for the information he'd be getting. The idea of being tricked like that hadn't occurred to him.  
Sora had no intentions of doing that though.  
"So if someone would care to get me out of here..." he left it hanging.  
"Of course," Tron nodded. "One moment for me to say goodbye to my friends."


	33. Chapter 33

_Day 63_

The image of Kingdom Hearts had continued to grow apace with the hidden real one. It was so very close now, so close that even just sat up at the Alter of Naught again, he could feel it's power, as if it was calling to him. As if it knew him.  
The Organization was down to just five members, now, six if he included the traitorous Axel. Roxas had eliminated Xaldin at the Beast's Castle.  
His agreement with Tron had given him detailed information into the demise of all members assigned to Castle Oblivion, and even the order in which they had fallen.  
Vexen had been first to be eliminated, as he already knew by Axel. He'd apparently been on the edge of revealing the Organization's plans – not Marluxia's though – for him when Axel destroyed him to gain Marluxia's trust.  
Larxene was second, and the first to fall to Roxas. She had almost finished Roxas off, when Naminé rebelled against the Organization using her, working with Donald and Goofy to save him. The reasons for her attempting to kill him were not noted.  
Third came Lexaeus, defeated by Riku, though more accurately by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, who had overpowered him for control of Riku's body to finish Lexaeus off after a battle that had left Riku too weak to handle it himself.  
Marluxia fell next in line, the self-styled lord of the castle, after a long battle with Roxas that made use of massive alternative forms brought about by the exploitation of Castle Oblivion's memory-based rooms. He'd attempted to take Roxas with him into the darkness, but faded before he could reach him.  
Zexion had been felled by the Riku Replica on Axel's orders because he'd found out too much, though what about was not mentioned, and neither was there anything on this Riku Replica either. Was it still at large?  
It didn't matter too much. The Riku Replica was still only a Replica, and if it turned out to be present still, he'd use it like he had Xion.  
Sora had taken down these details, writing them in one of the unused pads he kept around under the title of 'Ultimate fate of the Organization'.  
Empty entries existed for all the members still around, including himself.  
Demyx was next to have fallen, he recalled, and added the entry for it. He altered it to show that Demyx had wanted to take part in the battle just so he'd be remembered for it, deliberately overlooking that he hadn't even wanted to be anywhere near it until Sora had forced him to.  
Sora considered adding his own entry early, but decided against it. There would be time enough for that later.  
Under Xaldin, he wrote, 'Defeated by Roxas at Beast's Castle, but his loyalty was held suspect, believing we did not require Hearts.'  
It was true. He recalled on one of his earliest days, when Xaldin had first taught him about his Keyblade, he'd remarked that he didn't see the point to it.  
Footsteps echoed up behind him. The pad was closed, the pen pocketed. Sora knew who it was.  
Axel took the space beside him, the same space the alternate Sora had taken. Sora wordlessly handed him an ice cream.  
"Just like old times," Axel murmured. "Different place though."  
"You shouldn't stay here long," Sora told him. "Xigbar and Luxord have orders to destroy you."  
"And you?"  
"Xemnas said nothing to me about you, though I get the impression he expects me to do the same."  
"You're not though, are you?"  
"As far as I'm concerned, anything that happens up here this late at night is none of my concern, and I was in my room sleeping. I don't like to fight while I'm sleeping."  
"Sensible thinking. So what I'm seeing here isn't you, of course."  
"Naturally. I'm not here, and neither are you. Did you come for any particular reason?"  
"I wanted to see it before I went. Kingdom Hearts. I know what I'm seeing isn't the real thing though."  
"When did you find out?"  
"I stayed behind when Xemnas gave you your promotion and listened in."  
"I suppose that's the price I pay for not checking to make sure you'd all gone to work."  
"I also know you're not loyal to anyone."  
"What gave me away?"  
"Xigbar told Saïx about the meeting you were setting up. I decided to show up and see what it was about."  
"How much did you see?"  
"All of it. Riku's already here in the castle, by the way. He's laying low until Roxas gets here."  
"Long enough to find him then."  
"I wouldn't count on it."  
"You're up to something, aren't you?"  
"Naturally. Sora... are you really sure you want to do this? Xemnas isn't going to be a pushover, and he's not just going to let you take Kingdom Hearts from him."  
"I'm no pushover either, Axel. My mind's made up." He glanced over at Axel and added, "Get it memorized."  
Axel grinned faintly, finishing his ice cream. "You understand I'm not telling you this, because neither of us are really here."  
"Of course."  
"I've been to see Roxas, and I'm going to show him the way here."  
"And then?"  
"Then I'm going to join forces with him to stop you, Sora. I've been watching what you've been getting up to. I don't think you should be allowed to take it any more than Xemnas should be."  
"You can't turn on the Organization, Axel," Sora told him, echoing the words Axel had told Roxas in the memory. "We'll destroy you."  
"And Roxas would only see that as more of a reason to return the favour. He's coming, Sora, and there's nothing you can do to stop him. Got it memorized?"  
"No. Because we aren't here."  
"You should anyway."  
"You want me to remember it, then you accept that I'll do everything I can to stop you bringing Roxas here."  
"Heh. Give it your best, Sora. Gimme one last good fight. Make me feel useful again."  
Sora nodded, then murmured, "Go on. You'd better get moving before I send the Nobodies after you. I've got four kinds to throw at you, not to mention the Dusks."  
"Four?"  
"Oh, yours decided that when you turned traitor, they wanted me to take over for you... then Demyx's Dancers and Xaldin's Dragoons followed suit when they were destroyed. I've no doubt the other Nobodies will do the same as Roxas destroys the other members."  
Axel's grin faded slightly at this, then he got up and left by a dark corridor.  
Sora smiled to himself, reopening the pad and starting to write.  
'Axel: Eighth to fall. Turned against the Organization and lead Roxas to the World that Never Was in an attempt to stop Sora from achieving his goals. Destroyed by the Lesser Nobodies before reaching the World that Never Was.'  
He was certain now. No other member was going to survive to see this, and so he added one more line.  
'Sora: Last surviving member of Organization XIII. Joined with Kingdom Hearts, and became the ultimate ruler of all worlds with the power granted by it.'  
He called on a Dusk.  
_Yes, my liege?  
_"Gather as many of you as possible, and be ready for an incursion by Axel. As soon as his corridor opens into this world, I want you to turn on him. However many it takes to destroy him. As soon as he is no more, focus on hindering the passage of Roxas through Dark City and the castle, and report it to me.  
_I understand.  
_"Now go," he told it, putting both the pad and pen into a pocket as he returned his gaze to Kingdom Hearts. "Soon," he murmured. "Very soon now."  
Memories surfaced again. At least this was a better time, he reasoned.  
He was inside a dark corridor, fighting alongside Axel against a mass of Dusks.  
"I think I liked it better when they were on _my_ side!" Axel told him.  
"Feeling a little... regret?" Sora asked him slyly.  
"Nah," he answered, "I can handle these punks. Watch this!"  
Axel leapt up and over, into the centre of the Dusks, his twin chakrams spinning into circles of flames as they gathered energy. With a last cry, the flames erupted outwards, incinerating the Dusks.  
When it cleared, Axel was laying smoking on the floor of the corridor.  
Sora went to his side. "You're... fading away..."  
"Well, that's what happens when you put your whole being into an attack. You know what I mean? Not that Nobodies actually_ have_ beings... right?" His speech was slightly slurred, his eyes unfocused. "Anyway, you go find Kairi. Oh, almost forgot... sorry for what I did to her."  
"When we find her, you can tell her yourself."  
"I think I'll pass," he chuckled weakly. "My Heart just wouldn't be in it, you know. Haven't got one."  
"What were you trying to do, Axel?"  
"I wanted to see Roxas... he was the only one I liked. He made me feel... kinda like I had a Heart. Kinda funny... you do the same." He collected himself, then with a last effort he clearly added, "Kairi's in the castle dungeon. Now go."  
As Axel began to fade out, the memory did too.  
So Axel had turned against the Organization to help the other Sora as well... for different reasons, it seemed. Why had he gone looking for Sora if he wanted to see Roxas?  
Of course, the obvious answer. Roxas had probably gone back and rejoined him. Unlike him. He'd refused that fate, sending Xion in his place.  
"So, you too are regaining memories?"  
It was Xemnas. He'd joined him while the memory had been playing back.  
"How did you know?"  
"I know the signs. There are memories I left behind too. Yet in the presence of Kingdom Hearts... they begin to return to me."  
"It's never anything useful though."  
"Indeed? Perhaps in time. What have you learned of Roxas through his memories?"  
"What makes you think they're his memories?"  
"Who else is there to gain them from?"  
"Who else indeed," Sora mused to himself. "I don't know if I've learned anything about him. At least, nothing useful, anyway. I just get flashes of... his life. What about you? What memories does it give you?"  
"Memories of my own life prior to becoming a Nobody. Memories of a legendary blade, that all Keyblades are bit shallow reflections of. And of another who looked remarkably like you."  
"Me? How's that possible?"  
"Alas, that memory, if I ever possessed it in the first place, has not yet returned to me."  
The conversation was silent for a time, then Sora said, "We'll have visitors by later."  
"Oh?"  
"I... caught a recent memory from Roxas talking with Axel. Axel's going to show them the way here today. I took the liberty of getting the Nobodies ready to catch them as they come in. I doubt they'll stop anyone except Axel though."  
"Indeed? Then it seems they'll be our guests of honour when we gain what we've worked so hard for."  
_I've worked for. What _I've_ worked for, _ Sora thought to himself. _How many Hearts did _you_ put into it, Xemnas?  
_Out loud though, he said, "Soon. He'll have to pass through Twilight Town to find the way, and I've already filled the place with Heartless. It'll be complete and ready for us."  
"And you'll get your reward for it."  
"Of course. Would you excuse me? There's some... welcoming presents I want to leave for our coming guests."  
"Go ahead."


	34. Chapter 34

_Dark City_

Roxas exited the corridor left by Axel before he'd faded away, closely followed by Donald, Goofy, and then Mickey.  
"Axel told us Kairi's in the castle dungeons," he murmured.  
"Then we'd better find a way into the castle!" Mickey replied, leading the way. Donald and Goofy headed after him.  
Roxas pulled out the sheet once they were out of sight, examining things again.  
The note on Kingdom Hearts had been added to.  
'Sora or Sora, who are you Sora?'  
That made no sense at all, and still held no clues.  
"Roxas!" Donald called. "C'mon already!"  
He stowed it away and headed on, up to and past Memory Skyscraper. No Sora. Only Nobodies, and with the four of them fighting, they barely lasted any time at all.  
The path continued on to a precipice, looking out over a deep hole in the ground.  
"A dead end?" Mickey mused. "There's gotta be a way somewhere."  
Roxas knew there would be. He waited, watching where he knew Kairi was being held, then the moment the flash of light appeared, he pointed Oathkeeper toward it. The path opened, letting them into the castle.  
Mickey ran off ahead of them.  
"Let him," he murmured to Donald, holding him back. "He took care of himself all that time in the realm of Darkness. He'll be fine. We've got to find Kairi."

_Altar of Naught_

Sora and Xemnas stood side by side, watching and waiting.  
"Riku is here," Saïx's voice told them, coming up behind. "He freed Kairi."  
"Have Luxord deal with Riku," Sora told him. "You deal with Sora."  
"And Xigbar?"  
"He has his orders already."  
Saïx left again.  
"Ansem the wise is here," Xemnas murmured. "I recognise the smell of his darkness. Look there." He pointed down to one pathway that was outside the castle, where the figure he'd known as DiZ was setting up some kind of device.  
"Looks like I was wise to take precautions," Sora said. "If that's something to be used against Kingdom Hearts, he's aiming it at the false image."  
"So I noticed. We must not let him realise that."  
"Leave it to me," Sora told him, leaving.

_Hall of Empty Melodies_

"Roxas! Look there, it's Kairi!"  
Roxas glanced up at this. Though he knew the real Kairi was closer to Sora than him, he couldn't help but feel attached to the simulated one here.  
She was fighting with an ornate Keyblade alongside Riku, who bore what he recognised as the Way to the Dawn Keyblade.  
Up above, he heard the faint voices of Mickey conversing with Ansem the Wise, but paid little attention.  
"C'mon," he told the others. "We've gotta get up there and help them. They won't be able to stand up to those Nobodies alone."  
He barely noticed any of the Nobodies he destroyed as he made his way up what he recalled was Naught's Skyway, glancing up at Kingdom Hearts.  
Donald and Goofy both saw it too.  
"We're too late," Goofy said. "They've already completed it."  
"They haven't done anything with it yet though," Roxas told him. "Come on. There's still time to stop them."  
The Nobodies around Kairi and Riku turned as they entered the upper level of the hall, then turned on him. In moments, there wasn't a single one left.  
"You came," Kairi told him.  
"Of course. Axel said he's sorry for what he did. Don't go anywhere, Ansem," he added as Riku turned to leave. "I know who you are."  
Riku stopped, closing the corridor he'd opened.  
"How did you find out?" he asked in Ansem's voice.  
"You were the one who kept leaving us the odd clue here and there. Only you would have done that, Riku. You could have come to us, we would have understood."  
"I couldn't face you like this. I didn't think you'd want to, not after Ansem. I had to use the darkness, and to use it..."  
"You had to become Ansem. It's alright Riku, I get it. Come on. You can make up for it by helping us out now."

_Proof of Existence_

Sora calmly made his way down toward the two kings. There was no need to hurry, no need to panic. By now, Saïx, Luxord and Xigbar had all been defeated. He knew this for certain, because their Nobodies had offered themselves up to him. Now only Xemnas' Sorcerer Nobodies remained beyond reach.  
As he rounded the corner, he saw them, with the strange device putting out a beam to the false image.  
"I don't understand," Ansem muttered. "Why isn't it working?"  
"Because it's not real," Sora answered. Mickey put himself between Sora and Ansem. "You're looking at an illusion. Really, I expected you to catch on quicker."  
"You!" Ansem exclaimed.  
"Hello again, DiZ. Or would you prefer Your Majesty, Ansem the Wise?"  
"But you went with Roxas..."  
"No. I used Xion to replace me. Roxas is complete thanks to that."  
"It's all been for nothing then..." he groaned.  
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Sora grinned nastily. "I have two kings here... Kingdom Hearts may be complete... but two more Hearts couldn't hurt, and what better than the Hearts of both of you to add to the collection?"  
"I won't let you do that!" Roxas snapped, heading up the slope from below. "Your Majesties," he nodded respectfully to each. "If you'll excuse me, I think it's time I was reunited with my Nobody."  
"Reunited," Sora laughed. "You're complete, Roxas. The only union I have left is with Kingdom Hearts."  
"Wait... what about Xemnas?"  
"What about him?" Sora asked archly. He held up a hand, within it a small, almost clear orb that showed the Alter of Naught, Xemnas waiting atop it. "He remains blissfully unaware of my own ambitions."  
"We'll stop you together then," Riku's voice told him, coming into view.  
"You again. Well, no matter. There's a simple way around that."  
The orb turned black, and was hurled into Ansem's device, which exploded. Sora got clear quickly, taking to a ledge above and well out of range.  
When it cleared, Ansem was gone, and Riku was back in his own form again.  
As they all pulled themselves up, Riku noticed this change, throwing off the coat he'd been wearing.  
"Riku?" Mickey murmured. "Is that..."  
"It's really me, Mickey. Looks like that explosion purged me of Ansem."  
Kairi hugged him tight. "I knew you'd make it back to your old self again."  
"C'mon, Kairi, cut that out. We've gotta deal with Xemnas."  
"And Sora too," Roxas added.  
Sora grinned to himself, then launched himself high into the skies. It wasn't time yet for him to make his final appearance.

_Alter of Naught_

"So at last you join me, warriors of the Keyblades," Xemnas called to them as they caught up with him. "Answer me this one question... why do you hate the darkness?"  
"We don't hate it," Mickey told him. "It's just kinda scary. Everything is made of light and darkness, so ya can't have one without the other, see?"  
"Makes me wonder why we're afraid of it," Roxas murmured.  
"Because of who's lurking inside it," Riku supplied.  
"Then allow me another question... you accept darkness, yet choose to live in the light. So why do you loathe those of us who stand on the edge of nothingness, never given the choice between either?"  
"That's simple," Riku answered. "You make a mess in the other worlds."  
"That may be, but what other choice would we have had?"  
"You're just another Nobody," Roxas told him. "You can't feel anything, so just drop the charade already."  
"You don't miss a thing," Xemnas chuckled. "You're right, I feel nothing, and would feel nothing no matter what befalls those worlds or even you."  
"You miss all kinds of things though," Sora's voice announced. "Loyal? Me? You poor, deluded fool! How could you ever think me loyal?"  
Xemnas froze, his veneer of humour slipping away.  
"Marluxia was the one who opened my eyes," Sora's voice went on. "Showed me that you can't count on anyone except yourself. Then I found out about Saïx and Axel acting on their own. I made my plans my own then."  
Roxas noticed everyone else looking around for Sora. He too looked, but saw nothing.  
"What are you saying, Sora?" Xemnas asked, almost seeming to be afraid.  
"You haven't realised yet? You're slower than I thought. And to think I took orders from you for this long. I was a fool, but not so much of one as you are, Xemnas. My plan was to appear loyal, all the while furthering my own goals only."  
"You... never were loyal..."  
"Oh, I was. For about a week after Roxas caused my creation. But no longer. Every Heart that makes up _my_ Kingdom Hearts was put there by me. Xion was but a replica of me, and thus all that it gathered may as well be counted as mine. Those Roxas gave us too, as he is little more than my Somebody. Not a single Heart has gone into Kingdom Hearts that I did not have some involvement with. It belongs to me, Xemnas. No one else. I never had any intentions of sharing it."  
Sora finally showed himself, dropping down out of the air between them and Xemnas. He remained crouched for a moment, one hand on the ground, then straightened up.  
"Axel wasn't the traitor... you were," Xemnas accused.  
"Too late for that," Sora answered.  
Roxas wasn't quite sure what happened next. One moment Sora was stood in front of Xemnas drawing his Keyblade, the next he was behind Xemnas, Keyblade extended behind him, pointed at Xemnas.  
Mickey looked stunned, managing only, "How did he..."  
"Darkness," Riku finished. "More of a command over it than I ever had."  
Xemnas reached down to his chest, looking amazed, then Sora turned and raised the Keyblade for a second strike.  
Xemnas' head did not hit the floor, but vanished into the darkness. His body toppled over slowly, then it too went the same way.  
"Pitiful," Sora sniffed. "I should have realised it would be that easy much quicker. All it takes is proper knowledge of the darkness and a Keyblade..." he glanced up from where Xemnas had fallen. "What are you all doing here?"  
"We're going to stop you," Roxas answered. "No one should have Kingdom Hearts. Not even you."  
"It's a little late for that," Sora grinned viciously. He pulled a small device out of one pocket and pushed a button on it. Kingdom Hearts vanished, reappearing further away over Dark City. "You'll never reach it before I claim it," he taunted them, already floating up into the air and away from them.  
"What's wrong, Sora? Afraid to fight me without it?"  
Sora turned, looked Roxas in the eye with the same cocky grin he knew the real Sora often wore, and answered, "What's the point of having ultimate power if you don't get to use it?"  
Roxas was the first to reach the edge, looking after Sora head directly for Kingdom Hearts, then vanish straight into it.  
"Bugger," he muttered. "Not good."  
"You don't say," Riku replied.  
Roxas was at a loss. This was not supposed to have happened. He had no idea where to go from here, no idea what was going to happen next, and nothing to draw on. Even Xemnas had fused with an incomplete Kingdom Hearts.  
But Sora had achieved it with a complete and intact one.  
Ignoring the presence of everyone else, he pulled out the sheet that gave him access to the simulation.  
The data for Kingdom Hearts had gone haywire. He had to cut loose the systems watching it before it overloaded them and left him without even this small access.  
"What's that?" Mickey asked, noticing it.  
Kairi turned, seeing it. "Where did you-"  
They all disappeared, deactivated. No one other than him and Sora inside this simulated world now. This was beyond even them. It was up to him to stop this.  
Ignoring the warnings the system gave him about making changes, he started to get to work at evening the odds again.

* * *

**A/N: **I know, I cut out a fair bit of the story through the castle there. But for one thing, I haven't played that bit of the game yet, and second... well, going through all three boss fights seemed a bit like overkill given what's coming up next.  
And what's coming up next? Wait and see, though I leave you with this one-word clue: Destati


	35. Chapter 35

The massive form of Kingdom Hearts had given way to an endless ocean before him, now diving into it deeply. He could breath without issue though, and continued down through the depths as the light from above began to fade.  
He slowed as he fell, finally turning in the air to land on a the edge of a large white circle, the whiteness erupting upwards around him in the form of many small black birds.  
As it cleared, it revealed a circle platform, lit up from underneath. Around the edge were symbols, along the edge to his right they were of Roxas' Kingdom Crown, to the left they were the symbol of the Organization.  
Within them, two figures leaned against the edges, seeming to be asleep. Both were him, but both were different.  
On his left, the image of him wore the black coat, and held a Kingdom Key that was totally black, while on the right he appeared as the alternate Sora had looked, with the same Kingdom Key he'd always had.  
In the gap between them, was another, smaller ring, containing yet more even smaller ones. Each had the head of someone he knew. Roxas. Kairi. Naminé. Riku. Donald Goofy.  
In what was left, a stylization of the beach at Destiny Islands was shown.  
_Who are you, Sora?  
_"Who's there?"  
_Are you Sora, or are you Sora?  
_"I'm me! No one else!"  
_But which you is you?_ The voice seemed to come from all around him.  
Then from his left, _Is it the you that embraces the darkness, with all that you have gained here?  
_Then from his right, _Or is it the you that embraces the light, with all that you have forgotten?  
_The alternate Sora appeared opposite him.  
"Time's up, Sora," he said. "You've got to make your choice."  
"Who are you really?" Sora asked the alternate.  
"I already told you. I'm all that you left behind. Everything that you're not. You've got to decide, Sora."  
"How can I be someone I'm not?"  
"Do you know where you are?"  
"Isn't this inside Kingdom Hearts?"  
"Sort of. But I meant in a wider sense."  
"No."  
"This world... all the worlds you've been to... they're not real. None of this is real. It's just a simulation. Roxas created it to give me a chance to find out what I'd have done in his life."  
"Roxas is the real Nobody, isn't he?"  
The alternate nodded, "You aren't really a Nobody. The simulation was set up so that you'd be like one though. Just like Roxas was when I created him."  
"So you're... what I was like outside."  
"That's right. But now you have to make a choice."  
"How do I know you're telling me the truth?"  
"I'm you, Sora. If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust?"  
"You're not like me. You're different."  
"Of course. Different lives. But you and I are still Sora together."  
"How should I know what to choose?"  
The alternate extended both arms to either side. Paths formed from the edge, not far from the heads of the images on it. They extended upwards, outwards in a broad arc to a second platform above this one.  
"Only you can answer that. Choose your path, Sora," the alternate told him. "The choice is obvious now."  
It floated up between the two, then came down out of sight. Sora assumed his alternate had landed on the far edge of the second platform.  
He was torn. To keep what he had, and lose what he left behind, or to take back what he left behind only to lose what he had?  
Did he really have to lose anything? From what this alternate had told him, Roxas here was leading the life that had originally been his. All he had to do was look at his life to find out what he'd forgotten.  
Roxas would stop him, of course. If he chose to take the path and become his previous self, it would undoubtedly be a more peaceful way, but he wasn't his previous self. He was the Nobody Sora, the Nobody of Roxas, and he still resented Roxas for forcing him to live without a Heart for so long.  
Angry. He was truly angry. All these Hearts... Kingdom Hearts... it must have given him true feelings. His goal at last. The first of them, anyway.  
There would be differences, of course. Perhaps something might have happened between the real defeat of Xemnas and his entering this simulation – if the alternate was even right – and these things he wouldn't know of, but did that really matter? A few memories? He could live without them. He had power unimaginable. What fool would give it up to be... nice? To be such a hero?  
Sora made up his mind. He knew who he was now.  
He headed over the platform, over the image of himself that wore the coat and held the black Kingdom Key, and took the path that kept everything he had.  
The other path cracked loudly, then shattered into pieces, falling down. Just after it, the original platform went the same way. No going back now. His choice was made.  
The alternate Sora was waiting, just as he'd thought. This platform was identical to the one he'd left, but was turned around slightly. As he stepped off the path, which also shattered behind him, he stepped onto the image that wore the coat.  
Stood opposite him, on the image that showed him as he had been, was the alternate.  
"I'm disappointed in you," the alternate said sadly. "I thought you were better than that. I thought I could trust you to make the right choice, the way I would have."  
"This _is_ the right choice. Just because you don't see it my way, doesn't make it any less right."  
"I knew you'd see it that way. But I hoped you wouldn't take this course. You leave me no choice. I have to force you back onto the right path."  
The Kingdom Key appeared in one hand. Sora summoned his own, finding it had become the pure black one the matching image held.  
"You can't fight the darkness," he told his alternate.  
"Yours isn't true darkness," he replied. "Just the simulation of them."  
"And this is in the simulation – so I still have it!"  
He threw a bolt of darkness from the tip of his Keyblade toward the alternate, who made no move to get clear. It impacted him, and did nothing.  
"A simulation won't work against the real thing," he shook his head. "All that's left is you, me, and the Keyblade. You can fight me, Sora... or you can give up. Either way, I'm going to set you back on the right course."  
"This is the right course – and I'll prove it to you!"  
Sora headed for his alternate, who followed suit. He made an overhand strike, but it was easily avoided as the alternate dodged quickly aside, lashing out low at his legs. Sora swiftly jumped back out of reach, turning sharply to meet the alternate's second, higher strike with his own Keyblade, pushing back hard to send him stumbling back, then lunging forward. The alternate tried to roll aside, but he caught the edge of his jacket with the teeth of his Keyblade, pulling up sharply. The alternate was dragged back, but got loose by hitting his other arm, making him pull back and making the alternate swing enough to get the jacket off Sora's blade. He fell to the floor, but recovered quickly, and just in time to catch Sora's downward strike on his own Keyblade, shoving back and scrambling to his feet.  
The alternate kept his calm, making a feint high that Sora moved to block, leaving himself open lower down. Only swift reactions and an instinctive pull on the darkness allowed him to move quick enough to prevent himself from being caught again.  
"What's this?" the alternate exclaimed drawing back. "Impossible!"  
Sora realised too. "Of course," he laughed. "I should have realised. The darkness can't do anything to you, but it can affect me still. You can't beat the darkness, and you can't beat me, not now!"  
"I've fought worse opponents than you!" the alternate retorted, launching himself toward Sora again.  
Now Sora drew fully on the darkness, bringing in every bit of it he could, speed, strength, nothing was beyond him. He blocked the blow the alternate tried to land, then struck hard into his chest, sending him flying.  
Sora pulled on the darkness again, depositing Heartless onto the platform in many kinds, some in fusions that had never appeared before. He didn't have time to name them now.  
But these Heartless seemed incapable of harming his alternate. He walked through them as if they weren't there. Then he walked into one of them, and he was gone.  
"What's wrong," he called out, circling around the platform, trying to find him among the Heartless. "Are you afraid to fight me now you know you can't beat me?"  
Something struck him hard on the back of the head, and he lashed out behind him. His strikes met nothing but the Heartless though.  
"How about you, Sora?" the alternate's voice echoed. "Are you so insecure in your abilities that you're too afraid to face me without the darkness on your side?"  
He struck out at a few more of the Heartless, destroying more of them, but his alternate was nowhere to be seen.  
"I'm not afraid of anything, least of all you!"  
"Then cast off the darkness and face me."  
"Like I told Roxas; what's the point of having ultimate power if you're not going to use it?"  
A few more of the Heartless were destroyed. Sora felt real anger start to well up in him, and he lashed out indiscriminately, until only one Heartless was left, and when it was gone, his alternate remained, watching him with the same sadness he'd shown when Sora had first stepped onto this platform.  
"I see," he said. "So that's how it is. If that's the way it has to be... then so be it."  
Sora struck out at him again, but the alternate moved with the same swiftness he did now, and repelled his attacks with the same strength he had. He'd accepted the same darkness he was using.  
The two struck out, block and counter, strike and counterstrike, circling each other in a blur, filling the air with the ring of the Keyblades striking each other.  
Sora realised he wasn't going to make any headway as long as they both continued to use the same tactics, so started to take risks, going more on the offensive, sacrificing his defence to deal out more and more damage. The alternate was pushed back, step by step until he was on the edge, trying to keep his balance.  
"Whoops," Sora said nastily, as he pushed him off. The alternate reached out, as if expecting him to catch him, then fell into the darkness below the platform.  
Beneath him, the image of his alternate vanished from the platform. The Kingdom Crowns were replaced fully all the way round with the Organization symbols.  
He almost turned away, but something put him off, and he peered down closer into the darkness. There was something there still, something coming...  
It was another platform, identical to the one he now stood on, but it held the image of his alternate and with Kingdom Crown border.  
His alternate was not alone on it. Roxas was aboard as well.  
The station drew level with his own, then with a flash the two were one, and it was the half-and-half it had been before, with both of them displayed on it.  
"You didn't really think I'd let you cast aside your old life that easily, did you Sora?" Roxas asked him.  
"You got here just in time," the alternate Sora told Roxas. "Any longer, and it could have been impossible to retrieve me."  
"Oh, I doubt that. But right now, we've got other things to deal with." Oathkeeper and Oblivion flashed into Roxas' hands. "Care to give up?" he asked Sora.  
"Never!" he snapped, angrily readying his Keyblade again, heading toward Roxas first. He knew he could best his alternate, Roxas was the target now.  
Roxas brushed aside his attack with one Keyblade, the other slamming into his side, sending him straight to the floor. Sora rolled, getting to his feet only to raise his Keyblade rapidly to block his alternate swinging for his face.  
"Hi!" the alternate said brightly. "Remember me?"  
Sora was beyond words, letting loose a snarl as he shoved the alternate away. He took his Keyblade in both hands, putting every bit of strength he could behind it.  
When his alternate couldn't hold him off any more, Roxas stepped in, flinging one Keyblade at Sora from behind. Sora turned and blocked the other, then charged him, Keyblade swinging so wildly that Roxas had trouble blocking the strikes that came his way. Roxas had two Keyblades though, and wasn't about to let up that easily.  
The alternate Sora joined in now, forcing Sora to block not two but three Keyblades. The darkness couldn't lend him enough strength or speed to keep up with them any more, he was the one being driven back-  
Then he was at the edge.  
"Whoops," the alternate said in the same nasty tone he'd used, then pushed.  
Sora fell back, the platform receding into the distance, becoming only a tiny speck of white in the distance...

There was a hiss around him, then a second one. He felt strange, as if he'd been lying still for too long.  
Sora sat forward, blinking in the sudden light. He was in the pod. He glanced beside him, and saw Roxas leaning on his knees, watching him.  
"What are you thinking? Roxas asked him.  
"I'm hungry," Sora said, voicing his first thought, then his brow creased as he tried to remember. "Oh, gods," he muttered. "Did I really do all that?"  
"Yep. You gave me a ton of trouble trying to get you out of it again."  
"Oh, gods," he repeated. Why didn't I get the chance to come out?"  
"Instability in one of the modules that I couldn't fix. I was sort of hoping you'd follow my life a little closer, you know."  
"I guess I went a bit of course," he laughed weakly. "Can we talk about it later? I really want something to eat."

Roxas found Sora back in Danny's café, once more holding a cup of coffee. This time though, he wasn't sat in the corner, but at the table beside it, taking part in the poker game.  
He picked up a drink of his own, then took their usual table in the corner, watching.  
"400," Sora opened the last round of betting confidently.  
Two players folded, then the next said, "Your 400, and another 800 on top of that."  
"You're mad," the next shook his head, but met the bet all the same.  
"If he's mad, then I must be overcome with insanity," Sora quipped. "Another 1600 on top of your bet,"  
Both players called, then Sora followed suit.  
Sora was bluffing. Roxas was sure of it this time.  
Flush, Queen high. Three Aces. Then it came to Sora's turn.  
"Oh dear," he said theatrically, grinning again. "Have I won again?" He laid his cards on the table. "Straight Flush. King high."  
So maybe he was wrong again. He wasn't having much luck predicting when people were bluffing lately.  
Sora had a few last jokes with them, then excused himself and joined Roxas.  
"I was wondering when you'd show up."  
"Are you alright now?"  
"No, I'm still the Nobody pretending to be me. Honestly Roxas, could you have picked a better question?"  
"Can't blame me for worrying. After the way you acted in there..."  
Sora's face fell, becoming more serious, almost depressed. "Yeah, I know," he answered. "I'm not exactly proud of it."  
"That's all you've got to say on it?"  
"What more do you want, Roxas? Do you want me to sit here and apologise for everything I did?" they sat silently for a few moments, so Sora went on, "What I did in there... I thought it was what I wanted. I didn't know it wasn't real, or that I wasn't really a Nobody. But your simulation was convincing enough that I thought I was."  
"Sorry I brought it up," Roxas murmured grudgingly. "I just wanted to make sure..."  
"Sure that I wasn't slipping back into that persona again."  
"Yeah."  
"Don't worry. That Sora isn't going to show up again. Not unless there's no other choice, and I know there's always a choice."  
"Hey, cheer up. You can see one good thing from it."  
"What's that?"  
"I had fun living that small bit of your life."  
"You..."  
"Yep. Especially in the Pride Lands. Took me a while to get used to four feet though."  
Sora laughed, smiling again at last.  
"Go on. I know what you're thinking. Go ahead and do it."  
"Well... I'd need to know a few things off you first... I don't have everything I'd need to create the full story... and I'd need someone to keep an eye on me, to make sure I don't get out of line like you did..."  
"One condition," Sora said, holding up a finger.  
"What's that?"  
"If I have to go in after you, I don't have to lead your life again."  
"Don't worry – I'm not taking that risk again."  
"You're on then!"

* * *

**A/N: **And so at last, we reach the end of this tale - though as you've no doubt noticed, it's left open enough for other stories. Not just Roxas giving Sora's a shot, but either of them taking on other lives. Anyone for seeing how Roxas does as Riku?  
For now though, this story is over, and any new stories like this one... well, who knows... maybe if people pester me enough I'll work on it a bit.  
Hope you've enjoyed it as much as I did writing it - if not more, of course!


End file.
